The behavior of Triatoma sordida maintained in stoves with relative atmospheric humidity of 60-70% and temperatures, respectively, of 25°C and 30°C was observed. The higher temperature caused a shortening of the growth phases. The growth of the fifth instar took longer in males than in females. The longevity of adult females was greater than that of males. With regard to ingested blood higher averages were observed at 25°C, except in the 5th instar, and the females had the highest averages in the 4th and 5th instars. With regard to the number of repasts, at 25°C the average was higher in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd instars; there was interaction of temperature and sex in the 4th instar and there was no significant difference in the 5th instar; the number of repasts of males was larger than that of females only in the 5th instar. The initial weight of triatomid bugs was greatest at 25°C in all the instars except the 1st; females at 25°C had greater weight than males in the 4th and 5th instars and at 30°C in the 5th instar only. Effects of temperature and sex in the starvation resistance of T. sordida were observed. The triatomid bugs were not manipulated or fed after the move to instar study. The average of starvation resistance measured in days was longer in all the instars of the growth cycle, but, in the adult phase, there was interaction of temperature and sex. The correlation between starvation resistance and the last weight of the immediately previous instar was the only one that was consistently positive, being significant in eight only of the twelve possible correlations.
Triatoma sordida; Triatominae