Dados do Trabalho

Título

Cladistic analysis of the Triatoma matogrossensis subcomplex (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae)

Introdução

The Triatoma matogrossensis subcomplex is composed of eight species, most of them endemic to the Center-West region of Brazil. The subcomplex has taxonomic questions to be answered and hypotheses about its evolutionary relationships are still controversial, therefore, in need to be re-evaluated. Studies indicate that this subcomplex is paraphyletic, but there is no consensus on its evolutionary relationship. The present study represents the first cladistic analysis, based on external morphological characteristics, for most South American species, in order to understand the phylogeny of the T. matogrossensis subcomplex.

Objetivo(s)

Here we aim to present a hypothesis on the phylogeny of the species of the subcomplex T. matogrossensis.

Material e Métodos

Most of the specimens examined are deposited in the Triatomine Collection of Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. The character survey was based on the original descriptions of each species and on previous studies. For a more complete analysis, the subcomplexes Triatoma brasiliensis, Triatoma infestans, Triatoma maculata, Triatoma rubrovaria, Triatoma sordida and Triatoma vitticeps were included. The outgroup is composed of Dipetalogaster maxima, Eratyrus mucronatus, Triatoma phyllosoma, Nesotriatoma bruneri, Panstrongylus megistus, Panstrongylus tupynambai, Panstrongylus tibiamaculatus, Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus, Psammolestes tertius and Rhodnius stali for character polarization, rooting and monophyletic testing of the T. matogrossensis subcomplex. Cladistic analysis was performed with heuristic searches in the TNT program and the Bayesian method.

Resultados e Conclusão

Were described and coded 72 characters (49 binaries and 23 multistate) that were used to generate the hypotheses. The consensus of the morphological analyzes and previous studies highlight the following results: (i) T. rubrovaria and T. infestans subcomplexes formed monophyletic groups; (ii) the results indicate that the T. matogrossensis subcomplex is not a monophyletic group, and the close relationship of Triatoma matogrossensis, Triatoma deaneorum and Triatoma vandae with the T. sordida subcomplex; (iii) Triatoma maculata is not part of the subcomplex that bears its name; and (iv) Triatoma patagonica is not included in the T. sordida subcomplex.

Palavras-chave

Triatoma; South American species; morphological analysis; evolutionary relationship