The testicular follicle in the varous insect orders, has given evidence of relevance from the point of view of Systematics ans Phylogeny. In the triatomines, the testicular follicles are in number of seven, their lenght and thickness ranging considerabley between the genera and with less variation between the species. It was observed that in Rhodnius spp there exist two long and thick follicles and five short and thin; in Triatoma spp there extist two long and thick, two medium and thick and three short and thin; and in Panstrongylus spp seven, almost identical. Through the measurements of length of these structures, it was observed that the medium value of the averages and the standard deviation of the averages were very close, between the species of the same genus, consequently it was impossible to establish limits characterizing the species. Seecking precise results, interspecific comparisons were made through analysis of variance, as follows: - between different species of the same genus (simultaneous comparison); - between every two species of the same genus (couple comparison); - between identical species of different origin. The results didn't demonstrate the possibility of using this character in Systematics, although they seem to be promising as regards Phylogeny, provided that a great number of species is observed.
Triatominae; anatomy; morphometry; testicular follicles