Sylvatic population of Triatoma infestans from the Bolivian Chaco : from field collection to characterization

A sylvatic #Triatoma infestans$ DM (dark morph) population detected in the Bolivian Chaco was characterized and compared with various domestic ones. The degree of differentiation of DM was clearly within the #T. infestans$ intra-specific level. Nevertheless marked chromatic and morphometric differences as well as differences in antennal pattern, chromosome banding and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA support the hypothesis of a distinct population. Continuous exchange of insects between wild and domestic habitats seems unlikely in the Chaco. (Résumé d'auteur