Mean retention performance of <i>Rhodnius prolixus</i> at different triatomine developmental stages and ambient temperatures.

Retention performance measures the proportion of the weight of the blood meal ingested in the previous nymphal instar that is maintained as triatomine body weight in the next instar, and is calculated for each individual as the weight gained between triatomine developmental stages divided by the weight of the blood ingested by the previous nymphal instar. The entire dataset from all triatomine individuals (i.e., of every experimental group) was analyzed simultaneously controlling for developmental stage, as well as temperature and infection treatments. The triatomines kept at 30°C had a significantly lower retention performance compared to the other three temperature treatment groups (comparison with: the 24°C treatment, Wald statistic = 6.22 and p = 0.013; the 26°C treatment, Wald statistic = 8.72 and p = 0.0032; and the 28°C treatment, Wald statistic = 22.8 and p = 1.79e-06; n = 173 for all comparisons). Additionally, retention performance decreased with developmental stages (Wald statistic = 981.38 and p < 2e-16). Error bars represent the standard error of the mean.