Host-seeking: How triatomines acquire and make use of information to find blood

Abstract

The evolution of triatomine bugs towards haematophagy has demanded different types of adaptations, i.e., morphological, physiological and behavioural. In fact, haematophagy evolved as a secondary adaptation facilitated by frequent vertebrate contact. As derived from other Heteroptera, probably from an entomophagous group, some main morphological pre-adaptations, as piercing mouthparts and sucking pumps were already present. Thus, the most important novel acquisitions of triatomines include physiological and behavioural traits to obtain and handle the blood meal. In this review, we discuss how the sensory system and the behaviour of triatomines have been shaped by natural selection to accomplish the tasks of finding a vertebrate host and getting access to its blood. The feeding behaviour of triatomines is presented in its spatial and temporal context. Finally, some methods to study these topics are described.