Biology And Ethology of Triatoma Dimidiata (Latreille, 1811) II. Life Span of Adults and Fecundity and Fertility of Females1

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Abstract
Mean egg production by Triatoma dimidiata females fed every 2 weeks varied from 1025.2 to 1301.1. A single female laid up to 31 eggs per day (mean between 15.4 and 18.5) and up to 2054 during the entire period of life. Mean life span of females ranged from 629.8 to 789.4 and for the males from 566.9 to 688.5. In both cases there were great individual variations; maximum life span reached 3 years. Mean values for egg hatching were between 88.1 and 91.1%. All these properties do not seem to be affected by an infection of the insect with Schizotrypanum cruzi, but egg production is apparently decreased when the intervals between blood meals are longer. Comparative experiments on egg production and fertility, and life span of adults between T. dimidiata and the South American T. infestans gave much lower figures for the latter species. A group of 4 T. dimidiata females in which fertility was observed after death of the male still laid from 7 to 641 fertile eggs. Unfed adults laid eggs that occasionally were fertile. Virgin females with a previous blood meal laid infertile eggs and females mated only once and fed regularly laid up to 279 fertile eggs (mean 77.9). Transmission of S. cruzi by coitus between infected males and clean females or vice versa does not occur. The extremely high fecundity and egg fertility of T. dimidiata suggest a compensatory mechanism for a very long nymphal cycle and rather low agressiveness of the nymphal instars of this species.

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