Phylogeny and biogeography of Triatominae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae): molecular evidence of a New World origin of the Asiatic clade

The most representative sample of molecular data, especially 16S and 12S rDNAs, is used to study the phylogeny and evolution of 57 species of three tribes, Rhodniini, Linshcosteini, and Triatomini, of the subfamily Triatominae. For the first time both New World and Old World species are brought together in a single phylogenetic analysis. Maximum-parsimony and distance estimation place both the Asiatic representatives, Linshcosteus and Triatoma rubrofasciata, as sister groups. The Linshcosteus-T. rubrofasciata clade nests firmly within Triatomini, in most analyses branching as a basalmost lineage, thus supporting a monophyletic origin of Triatominae. A paraphyly of "Triatoma" with respect to Linshcosteus, Dipetalogaster, Eratyrus, and Panstrongylus and the paraphyly of "Rhodnius" with respect to Psammolestes is observed in most of the analyses. Reinterpretation of triatomine biogeography points to the origin of Triatominae in northern areas of South America, in Central America, or in the southern region of North America. A few taxonomic changes are proposed: (1) reinclusion of Linshcosteus in Triatomini, (2) inclusion of Psammolestes in Rhodnius, (3) elevation of the "T. flavida complex" to the full genus Nesotriatoma (including N. flavida, N. bruneri, and N. obscura), (4) inclusion of the "T. spinolai complex" in Mepraia (including M. spinolai, M. gajardoi, M. eratyrusiformis, and M. breyeri), and (5) inclusion of "T." dimidiata in Meccus (M. dimidiatus).