Sensory Biology of Triatomines

Abstract

Sensory systems mediate behaviors such as food, mate and shelter search, habitat selection, avoidance of environmental risks, escape from predators, and communication with conspecifics. Yet, immersed in an environment full of flowing information, triatomines, as other living organisms, must recognize and make use of adequate and sparse sensory stimuli. Specialized sensory structures allow the detection of a great variety of stimuli, such as visual cues, water vapor, heat, infrared radiation, vibratory signals, and a plethora of volatile and nonvolatile chemicals. Thus, different and specialized sensory capacities allow these animals an efficient exploitation of their environments according to their evolutionary history in specific ecotopes and particular selective pressures.