ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION 147 Insecta , Hemiptera , Reduviidae , Panstrongylus geniculatus : Geographic distribution map

Panstrongylus geniculatus is one of the most widely distributed species of Triatominae in South and Central America, occurring in several biomes with different climatic characteristics. We present the results of captures of P. geniculatus provided from a 10-year program of entomological surveillance in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. We also present an updated geographic distribution map of P. geniculatus obtained from an extensive literature review. The entomological surveillance program, between 1996 and 2005, provided 110 capture registers of P. geniculatus in Espírito Santo. These are the first records of P. geniculatus from 15 municipalities in this state. P. geniculatus extends through 18 countries in Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Introduction Triatomines (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) are strictly hematophagous insects that are widespread in several natural and artificial ecotopes (Schofield 2000), mainly on the American continent (Galvão et al. 2003). Several species of triatomines are vectors of Chagas disease, an endemic anthropozoonotic disease that affects 15 million individuals in Latin America, with at least 90 million people at risk of infection (WHO 2002). The etiologic agent of this parasitosis is Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellate protozoan that circulates in sylvatic cycles, and, more recently, in domestic cycles involving humans (Guhl et al. 2000). More than 150 wild and domestic mammals serve as reservoir hosts of T. cruzi (Gaunt and Miles 2000). Panstrongylus geniculatus is one of the most widely distributed species of Triatominae in South and Central America, occurring in several biomes with different climatic characteristics (Silveira et al. 1984; Carcavallo et al. 1999). It is associated with animal burrows in humid forests, especially with armadillos, which are reservoirs of T. cruzi (Lent and Wygodzinsky 1979). Although it occasionally invades houses, this triatomine has not adapted to colonize human domiciles, an important factor in limiting the potential of this species as a vector of Chagas disease to man (Jaramillo et al. 2002). Colonization of pigsties near to and contiguous with human domiciles in the Amazon River floodplain, however, has been reported, with related invasions of houses and attacks on residents (Valente et al. 1998; Valente 1999). We present the results of captures of P. geniculatus provided from a 10-year program of entomological surveillance in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. We also present an updated geographic distribution map of this species obtained from an extensive literature review. Material and methods The study area comprises the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, located in the southern Central Corridor of the Atlantic Forest, which has about 4.8 million ha. The annual mean temperature in the region is between 16-25 °C and the annual precipitation, between 900-2,100 mm. The elevation can reach 2,800 m in some sites (Hijmans et al. 2005). The area has a high level of species diversity, even after suffering intense devastation that reduced its original forest cover to about 5 % (Fonseca 1985). We obtained the occurrence data of P. geniculatus from the database of the Fundação Nacional de Saúde of the state of Espírito Santo. This database originates from the entomological surveillance program, which is provided with records of triatomines that people have caught in their houses. We georeferenced the capture registers of P. geniculatus in study area between 1996 and 2005. We also created a geographic distribution map of P. geniculatus based on literature review. Check List 2007: 3(2)