Novel finding of Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus (Champion, 1899) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) in Belize, with a note on single Rhodnius Stål, 1859 species observations

Abstract

We report Triatominae species Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus (Champion, 1899) for the first time in Belize. The specimen was collected in Cayo District, Belize in 2003 and later discovered in 2023 in a research collection. The distribution of P. rufotuberculatus spans Mexico to Argentina, and Belize lies within this range. This finding represents the fifth triatomine species reported in Belize, but only two species, Triatoma dimidata Latreille, 1811 and T. mopan Dorn et al., 2018, have been reported more than once. More research is needed to fully understand Triatominae biodiversity in Belize.

Keywords

• Central America
• Chagas disease
• disease vectors