Critical threshold meal size and molt initiation in Rhodnius prolixus |
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| Authors: | Roberto A. Saenz Paula Medone Natalia di Clemente Anthony Tongen Jorge Rabinovich |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Colima, Colima, Mexico;2. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE‐CCT‐La Plata‐CONICET‐UNLP), La Plata, Argentina;3. Laboratorio de Biorremediación de Suelos, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina;4. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | The molting process and body growth in Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) (Ståhl, 1859) are significantly influenced by the availability and quality of food. Based on the body weight of each stage, the present study provides estimates of a potential critical weight threshold required for molt initiation in R. prolixus. In addition, a new measure given by the area under the weight curve is proposed, which encapsulates both body weight and time. It is shown that this measure is consistent with the data, and allows the estimation of a pre‐refractory period (i.e. the time interval between the moment at which the critical weight threshold is reached and the moment when no further meals are accepted). The present analysis estimates the critical weight threshold as 1.6, 5.3, 12.9, 42.0 and 97.0 mg for stages 1–5, respectively, whereas the values of the area under the curve threshold as 5, 16, 31.2, 159.7 and 329.9 mg days for stages 1–5, respectively. The results of the present study confirm the existence of a weight‐dependent mechanism for the initiation of molting in R. prolixus. |
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| Keywords: | Area under the curve critical weight feeding interval feeding strategy feeding time haematophagy meal size molting initiation refractory period Rhodnius prolixus |
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