Search

Much research and discussion have focused on the effects of key innovations on lineage diversification, whereas little has been done to investigate their role in morphological evolution using phylogenetic approaches. Here we present the first comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the Harpactorini ( Insecta: Reduviidae), the largest assassin bug tribe, sampling 229 terminal taxa and using five gene segments (28 S D2, D3- D5, 16 S, COI, and Deformed). Employing comparative phylogenetic methods, we demonstrate the correlation of a putative key innovation, the sticky trap predation strategy, with accelerated rates of morphological evolution of the predatory fore leg in assassin bugs. We show that bugs exhibiting sticky trap predation have evolved more slender and longer fore femora than non-sticky bugs. Using phylogenetically independent contrast analyses, we document correlated evolution between femoral thickness and length. We argue that the novel sticky trap predation strategy may allow sticky bugs to alleviate functional constraints on the fore femur and thus to attain a higher rate of evolution than other Harpactorini or Reduviidae. We discuss the possibility that sticky bugs represent a case of adaptive radiation. We also test historical supra-generic groups within the Harpactorini, and show that most of them are not monophyletic. We confirm the paraphyly of Harpactorini with respect to Rhaphidosomini. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhang, G. and Weirauch, C. 2011. Sticky predators: a comparative study of sticky glands in harpactorine assassin bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae). - Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 00: 1-10. For more than 50 years, specialized dermal glands that secrete sticky substances and specialized setae have been known from the legs of New World assassin bugs in the genus Zelus Fabricius (Reduviidae: Harpactorinae). The gland secretions and specialized 'sundew setae' are involved in enhancing predation success. We here refer to this predation strategy as 'sticky trap predation' and the specialized dermal glands as 'sticky glands'. To determine how widespread sticky trap predation is among Reduviidae, we investigated taxonomic distribution of sticky glands and sundew setae using compound light microscopical and scanning electron microscopical techniques and sampling 67 species of Reduviidae that represent 50 genera of Harpactorini. We found sticky glands in 12 genera of Harpactorini and thus show that sticky trap predation is much more widespread than previously suspected. The sticky glands vary in shape, size and density, but are always located in a dorsolateral position on the fore tibia. Sundew setae are present in all taxa with sticky glands with the exception of Heza that instead possesses unique lamellate setae. The sticky trap predation taxa are restricted to the New World, suggesting a New World origin of this unique predation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apiomerini, also called New World resin bugs, are a largely Neotropical tribe of the assassin bug subfamily Harpactorinae, whose members show unique predation and maternal care behaviors. Species in this group collect resins to improve prey capture, and species within Apiomerus also coat their eggs with the accumulated resin to prevent egg predation and desiccation. Current understanding of phylogenetic relationships within the tribe is limited, in part due to the lack of comprehensive comparative morphological studies that would allow for cladistic analyses. Here, the male and female ectodermal genitalic structures are documented for all but one of the 12 extant genera of Apiomerini, including 12 species of the speciose genus Apiomerus. Descriptions and digital micrographs are provided for the pygophore, parameres, and phallus of the male, and for the tergite 8, syntergite 9/10, gonocoxae, gonapophyses, gonoplac, and bursa copulatrix of the female. Primary homologs are identified and their variation among taxa discussed. The wealth of morphological character information uncovered in this comparative analysis will greatly facilitate future cladistic analyses of Apiomerini. Our study also represents one of the first detailed and well-illustrated comparative studies of genitalic features at the tribal level in Reduviidae. Functional morphology of apiomerine genitalia is discussed where appropriate. (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crassipes and pictipes species groups of Apiomerus Hahn together contain 12 species, many with high intraspecific chromatic variability, which represent the majority of Nearctic species in this New World assassin bug genus. Because of their geographical distribution and their varying degrees of polychromatism, these two species groups provide a unique opportunity to study the evolution of polychromatism and analyse relationships among areas of endemism in the Nearctic, as well as determine the boundary between the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. The results of a morphology based phylogenetic analysis allowed investigation of these questions while also determining relationships among the 12 species in the two species groups. The crassipes and pictipes species groups were each supported as monophyletic and as sister taxa. Apiomerus rufipennis (Fallou) was not included in the original concept of the crassipes species group, but is shown here to be a member of the group. Apiomerus barrocoloradoi Forero, Berniker & Szerlip, which had been hypothesized previously to belong to the pictipes species group, is excluded from this group. Intraspecific polychromatism for each species was identified as being present in one of three states: no polychromatism; limited polychromatism; or polychromatism as discrete colour morphs. Limited polychromatism was here found to be the ancestral state for Apiomerus, and species with discrete colour morphs are restricted to the crassipes and pictipes species groups. Polychromatism appears to be a greatly homoplastic character within the genus. A Brooks parsimony analysis recovered distinct Nearctic and Neotropical clades. The Nearctic clade is divided between areas in the central and eastern U.S.A. and areas in the Western U.S.A. and Mexico. The Nearctic-Neotropical boundary for the taxa included in the analysis is along the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Madagascar endemic assassin bugs Bekilya Villiers and Hovacoris Villiers were described from macropterous male specimens with striking colour patterns, and are currently monotypic. Mutillocoris Villiers, with two species from Madagascar, was based on brachypterous female specimens that resemble female mutillid wasps. To investigate the validity of the three genera, recently collected specimens from Madagascar were studied with both morphological and molecular techniques. Morphology alone appeared to be of limited value for associating males with females, and immature stages with adults, because of drastic differences between the sexes and the life stages. However, the use of morphology in conjunction with molecular data resolved these associations and showed that species of Mutillocoris represent females of Bekilya and Hovacoris, which we transfer accordingly to these two genera and refer to them as the Bekilya group. The type species of Mutillocoris belongs in Bekilya, resulting in the synonymy of these two genera ( Mutillocoris). The Bekilya group is diagnosed and several new species are described: Bekilya mahafalya, Bekilya tenebra, Bekilya tuleara, Hovacoris bicolornotum, Hovacoris melanoceps and Hovacoris rufiventris A total of ten species are recognized within the Bekilya group. The monophyly of Bekilya, Hovacoris and the Bekilya group is confirmed by morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small genus Durevius Villiers, 1962 (Reduviinae) is redescribed and two species are described as new, thus recognizing five species in the genus. Durevius is endemic to Madagascar with species found in the inland plateau and coastal lowland regions. Diagnoses for the genus and all species are developed and an identification key, habitus images, and a distribution map are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two wing-to-body fastening structures are documented using scanning electron microscopy for 20 exemplar species across the Heteropterodea and 3 species of Auchenorrhyncha. Frenae, holding devices interlocking the costal margin of the fore wing with the margin of the mesoscutellum, occur in representatives of all infraorders of Heteroptera with the exception of Gerromorpha. Frenae were also found in Cicadomorpha and Fulgoromorpha (Auchenorrhyncha), but they are absent in Coleorrhyncha. A knobshaped "druckknopf", covered with tile-like microtrichia on the mesepimeron and interlocking the hind margin of the fore wing with the mesothorax, occurs in Cimicomorpha, Leptopodomorpha and Coreidae (Pentatomomorpha) among Panheteroptera. A ridge or elevation beset with tile-like microtrichia is present in Dipsocoridae and Schizopteridae among Dipsocoromorpha, Nepomorpha and the remaining Pentatomomorpha examined among Panheteroptera, but also in a species of Cicadomorpha and Fulgoromorpha. Scenarios for the evolution of frenae and druckknopf, mapped on a recent hypothesis of higher-level relationships of Heteroptera, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizoptera Fieber is a monophyletic and the largest genus of minute litter bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Dipsocoromorpha). Its current concept is supported by a recent molecular phylogeny and comprises nearly 90 described extant and two fossil species divided into four subgenera: Schizoptera (Cantharocoris), Schizoptera (Odontorhagus), Schizoptera (Schizoptera) and Schizoptera (Zygophleps). We here taxonomically revise the subgenus Schizoptera (Zygophleps), which so far contains Schizoptera unica McAtee & Malloch, 1925 from Guatemala and Schizoptera corallia Emsley, 1969 , Schizoptera simla Emsley, 1969 , and Schizoptera ultima Emsley, 1969 from Trinidad. The subgenus is diagnosed by the unique triangular shape of the posterior membranal cell. The following 36 species are here described: Schizoptera aculeata sp.n. , Schizoptera applanata sp.n. , Schizoptera bella sp.n. , Schizoptera biancae sp.n. , Schizoptera cassiae sp.n. , Schizoptera confusa sp.n. , Schizoptera costarriquenha sp.n. , Schizoptera cuspida sp.n. , Schizoptera ecuadoriana sp.n. , Schizoptera elegantissima sp.n. , Schizoptera emsleyi sp.n. , Schizoptera erosa sp.n. , Schizoptera erwini sp.n. , Schizoptera falcata sp.n. , Schizoptera familia sp.n. , Schizoptera furcata sp.n. , Schizoptera fuscodorsata sp.n. , Schizoptera hirsuta sp.n. , Schizoptera inaequalis sp.n. , Schizoptera inca sp.n. , Schizoptera kayi sp.n. , Schizoptera knyshovi sp.n. , Schizoptera magnifica sp.n. , Schizoptera mallochi sp.n. , Schizoptera mcateei sp.n. , Schizoptera orellanensis sp.n. , Schizoptera paraensis sp.n. , Schizoptera peruviana sp.n. , Schizoptera pichincha sp.n. , Schizoptera pinduca sp.n. , Schizoptera prima sp.n. , Schizoptera priva sp.n. , Schizoptera ramosa sp.n. , Schizoptera solitaria sp.n. , Schizoptera speira sp.n. , and Schizoptera stricta sp.n. The majority of species herein described were collected in Brazil, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, expanding the known distribution of the subgenus. We provide diagnoses, descriptions, photographs of habitus and subgenital plates, line drawings of diagnostic male genitalic features, and a distribution map. A key to species based on males is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With more than 886 species in ∼137 genera, Ectrichodiinae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) are the largest animal clade of millipede predators. Recent phylogenetic studies have created a framework for our understanding of ectrichodiine evolutionary history, but no fossil species have been described. EctrichodiellaFracker and Bruner, 1924, belongs to the earliest diverging lineage of Ectrichodiinae, and a better understanding of the morphology and biodiversity of this genus may provide insights into the early evolution of the subfamily. The genus is composed of two described species, Ectrichodiella minima (Valdés, 1910) and Ectrichodiella rafaeli (Gil-Santana and Coletto-Silva, 2005) from Cuba and Brazil, respectively. Here, four new species of Ectrichodiella are described, with three representing extant taxa known only from French Guiana (E. caballina, n. sp., E. nouraguensis, n. sp., and E. obscura, n. sp.), while the fourth is based on a Miocene Dominican amber fossil (Ectrichodiella electrina, n. sp.). Diagnoses, descriptions, habitus and detailed morphological images, an identification key, and a distribution map are provided. A cladistic analysis based on 45 morphological characters that includes the fossil species corroborates the monophyly of Ectrichodiella, but the relationship of the fossil species to the five extant species remains ambiguous. Nevertheless, this phylogenetic placement makes Ectrichodiella electrina, a valuable fossil calibration for future divergence dating analyses, despite its relatively young age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae Latreille) comprise not only one of the largest radiations of predatory animals (22 subfamilies; >6,800 spp.) but also include the medically important kissing bugs (Triatominae Jeannel). Reduviidae are morphologically diverse, engage in an astounding array of predatory strategies and have evolved some of the most unique anti‐predator and stealth techniques in the animal kingdom. While significant progress has been made to reveal the evolutionary history of assassin bugs and revise their taxonomy, the non‐monophyly of the second largest assassin bug subfamily, Reduviinae Latreille, remains to be addressed. Leveraging phylogenomic data (2,291 loci) and 112 morphological characters, we performed the first data‐ and taxon‐rich (195 reduvioid taxa) combined phylogenetic analysis across Reduvioidea and reconstructed morphological diagnostic features for major lineages. We corroborated the rampant polyphyly of Reduviinae that demands substantial revisions to the subfamilial and tribal classification of assassin bugs. Our new classification for Reduviidae reduces the number of subfamilies to 19 and recognizes 40 tribes. We describe three new subfamilies to accommodate distantly related taxa previously classified as Reduviinae (Heteropinae subfam. nov., Nanokeralinae subfam. nov., and Pasirinae subfam. nov.). Triatominae sensu nov. are expanded to include closely related predatory reduviine genera. Cetherinae Jeannel, Chryxinae Champion, Pseudocetherinae Villiers, Salyavatinae Amyot & Serville and Sphaeridopinae Amyot & Serville are treated as junior synonyms of Reduviinae sensu nov. Epiroderinae Distant are synonymized with Phimophorinae Handlirsch sensu nov. and Bactrodini Stål stat. nov. are reclassified as a tribe of Harpactorinae Amyot & Serville. Psophidinae Distant is treated as a valid subfamily. This new classification represents a robust framework for future taxonomic and evolutionary research on assassin bugs.Zoobank Registration: http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2310C9AA-0D53-4EF6-9E75-C2B3A98CE096 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heteroptera is a diverse suborder of insects that includes many plant pests, human disease vectors, and nuisance pests, but also beneficial insects. Previous analyses have supported recognition of seven monophyletic infraorders. A clade comprising Leptopodomorpha, Pentatomomorpha, and Cimicomorpha is also well-accepted, but relationships among the early-diverging lineages, including the aquatic infraorders (Nepomorpha and Gerromorpha), have remained poorly resolved and controversial. Phylogenomic analyses of 2,159 gene alignments derived from Illumina sequencing of transcriptomes were employed to explore the stability of relationships among major heteropteran lineages. These analyses included maximum likelihood analyses of amino acid and nucleotide sequences, as well as multi-species coalescent analysis and quartet sampling. All analyses favored a sister position of the Nepomorpha to the remaining Heteroptera. The placement of the Nepomorpha and other ambiguously supported nodes, including some within the Pentatomomorpha were explored with quartet sampling. Results of quartet sampling revealed only a slight majority of quartets supported the placement of the Nepomorpha, and some varying alternate topologies were supported within the Pentatomomorpha. These results highlight the instability of deep nodes that divide aquatic and other early-diverging lineages within the Heteroptera, suggesting that some relationships remain difficult to resolve even with large amounts of data. In addition, despite the large amount of transcriptome data analyzed, quartet sampling revealed considerable underlying conflict for some nodes, even where bootstrap support is high, emphasizing the importance of considering multiple clade support values when analyzing phylogenomic datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disulfide-rich peptides such as defensins play diverse roles in immunity and ion channel modulation, as well as constituting the bioactive components of many animal venoms. We investigated the structure and bioactivity of U-RDTX-Pp19, a peptide previously discovered in venom of the assassin bug Pristhesancus plagipennis. Recombinant Pp19 (rPp19) was found to possess insecticidal activity when injected into Drosophila melanogaster. A bioinformatic search revealed that domains homologous to Pp19 are produced by assassin bugs and diverse other arthropods. rPp19 co-eluted with native Pp19 isolated from P. plagipennis , which we found is more abundant in hemolymph than venom. We solved the three-dimensional structure of rPp19 using 2D 1H NMR spectroscopy, finding that it adopts a disulfide-stabilized structure highly similar to known trans -defensins, with the same cystine connectivity as human α-defensin (I–VI, II–IV, and III–V). The structure of Pp19 is unique among reported structures of arthropod peptides. [Display omitted] • Recombinant expression of Pp19, a disulfide-rich peptide from assassin bug venom • The Pp19 structure was determined by solution NMR spectroscopy • Pp19 adopts a fold similar to human α-defensin with the same disulfide connectivity Walker et al. produced an insecticidal peptide from the venom of an assassin bug using bacterial expression. The structure of this peptide was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Pp19 adopts a unique fold previously unknown among defensins produced by arthropods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triatominae are the largest radiation of haematophagous species within the true bugs (Hemiptera) and the sole vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, the causative agent of Chagas disease, a neglected human disease that affects millions. We used a combined ultraconserved element (UCE) and ribosomal dataset from ethanol‐preserved and pinned specimens in a museomics approach to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among triatomines, including taxa of four of the five tribes with substantial representation of the Old World fauna. We conclude that: (i) Triatominae are monophyletic and Opisthacidius Berg is their predatory sister taxon; (ii) the three large genera (Rhodnius Stål, Triatoma Laporte and Panstrongylus Berg) are not monophyletic; (iii) Triatomini fall into nine well‐supported clades, only two of which are identical in composition to previously recognized groups; and (iv) the Old World clade is deeply nested within Triatomini. Ancestral character state reconstructions of specific character traits provide insights into the evolutionary history of Triatominae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though the phylogenetic signal of loci on sex chromosomes can differ from those on autosomes, chromosomal-level genome assemblies for nonvertebrates are still relatively scarce and conservation of chromosomal gene content across deep phylogenetic scales has therefore remained largely unexplored. We here assemble a uniquely large and diverse set of samples (17 anchored hybrid enrichment, 24 RNA-seq, and 70 whole-genome sequencing samples of variable depth) for the medically important assassin bugs (Reduvioidea). We assess the performance of genes based on multiple features (e.g., nucleotide vs. amino acid, nuclear vs. mitochondrial, and autosomal vs. X chromosomal) and employ different methods (concatenation and coalescence analyses) to reconstruct the unresolved phylogeny of this diverse (∼7,000 spp.) and old (>180 Ma) group. Our results show that genes on the X chromosome are more likely to have discordant phylogenies than those on autosomes. We find that the X chromosome conflict is driven by high gene substitution rates that impact the accuracy of phylogenetic inference. However, gene tree clustering showed strong conflict even after discounting variable third codon positions. Alternative topologies were not particularly enriched for sex chromosome loci, but spread across the genome. We conclude that binning genes to autosomal or sex chromosomes may result in a more accurate picture of the complex evolutionary history of a clade., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.)

The Apiomerus maya species group of the genus Apiomerus Hahn, 1831 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae: Apiomerini), the bee assassins, is revised. Four species that are native to parts of Mexico and Central America are recognized and redescribed: Apiomerus maya Dispons, 1971, A. pipil Dispons, 1971, A. venosus Stl, 1872, and A. immundus Bergroth, 1898. Intraspecific polychromatism and male genital morphology are documented for the group. The taxonomy of two previously recognized species is updated: A. tristis Champion, 1899 syn. nov. is here synonymized with A. venosus and A. guatemalensis Dispons, 1971 syn. nov. with A. pipil.

Guapinannus Wygodzinsky, 1951 (Hemiptera: Schizopteridae) was described based on a single female specimen from Costa Rica. Some additional specimens representing this genus have since become available and were incorporated into a comparative male genitalic study across Dipsocoromorpha and into combined molecular and morphological hypotheses of the infraorder. However, the species-level diversity of Guapinannus has remained unexplored and undocumented. Based on examination of 264 specimens from central and South America, we here revise the taxonomy of Guapinannus, describing 19 species as new (Guapinannus anaticulus, sp. n.; Guapinannus artus, sp. n.; Guapinannus auriculus, sp. n.; Guapinannus castigatus, sp. n.; Guapinannus clava, sp. n.; Guapinannus dispar, sp. n.; Guapinannus falcis, sp. n.; Guapinannus graziae, sp. n.; Guapinannus minutus, sp. n.; Guapinannus orbiculatus, sp. n.; Guapinannus plurilobus, sp. n.; Guapinannus policis, sp. n.; Guapinannus robustus, sp. n.; Guapinannus sinuosus, sp. n.; Guapinannus tatumbia, sp. n.; Guapinannus tenuis, sp. n.; Guapinannus tergus, sp. n.; Guapinannus trilobus, sp. n.; Guapinannus uncus, sp. n.). In addition, we provide photos of the female holotype of Guapinannus bierigi Wygodzinsky, 1951, SEM documentation for Guapinannus clava, sp. n., habitus photos and a map for all species, and line drawings of male genitalic features for all species for which males are known.

Despite many bioinformatic solutions for analyzing sequencing data, few options exist for targeted sequence retrieval from whole genomic sequencing (WGS) data with the ultimate goal of generating a phylogeny. Available tools especially struggle at deep phylogenetic levels and necessitate amino-acid space searches, which may increase rates of false positive results. Many tools are also difficult to install and may lack adequate user resources. Here, we describe a program that uses freely available similarity search tools to find homologs in assembled WGS data with unparalleled freedom to modify parameters. We evaluate its performance compared to other commonly used bioinformatics tools on two divergent insect species (>200 My) for which annotated genomes exist, and on one large set each of highly conserved and more variable loci. Our software is capable of retrieving orthologs from well-curated or unannotated, low or high depth shotgun, and target capture assemblies as well or better than other software as assessed by recovering the most genes with maximal coverage and with a low rate of false positives throughout all datasets. When assessing this combination of criteria, ALiBaSeq is frequently the best evaluated tool for gathering the most comprehensive and accurate phylogenetic alignments on all types of data tested. The software (implemented in Python), tutorials, and manual are freely available at https://github.com/AlexKnyshov/alibaseq., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2021 Knyshov et al.)

In this chapter, we review and update current knowledge about the evolution, systematics, and biogeography of the Triatominae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)-true bugs that feed primarily on vertebrate blood. In the Americas, triatomines are the vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. Despite declining incidence and prevalence, Chagas disease is still a major public health concern in Latin America. Triatomines occur also in the Old World, where vector-borne T. cruzi transmission has not been recorded. Triatomines evolved from predatory reduviid bugs, most likely in the New World, and diversified extensively across the Americas (including the Caribbean) and in parts of Asia and Oceania. Here, we first discuss our current understanding of how, how many times, and when the blood-feeding habit might have evolved among the Reduviidae. Then we present a summary of recent advances in the systematics of this diverse group of insects, with an emphasis on the contribution of molecular tools to the clarification of taxonomic controversies. Finally, and in the light of both up-to-date phylogenetic hypotheses and a thorough review of distribution records, we propose a global synthesis of the biogeography of the Triatominae. Over 130 triatomine species contribute to maintaining T. cruzi transmission among mammals (sometimes including humans) in almost every terrestrial ecoregion of the Americas. This means that Chagas disease will never be eradicated and underscores the fact that effective disease prevention will perforce require stronger, long-term vector control-surveillance systems., (© 2018 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.)

Schizoptera Fieber, currently the largest genus of litter bugs (Hemiptera: Dipsocoromorpha), comprises 61 extant species in 4 subgenera. Specimens are abundant in New World bulk and residue samples. Schizoptera species showcase stunning morphology including intricate, asymmetrical genitalia in males that have proven to provide excellent species diagnostic features in the past. Recent bulk sample sorting efforts have revealed a vast number of Schizoptera specimens from across the New World, with the majority representing undescribed species. We here taxonomically revise the subgenus Schizoptera (Odontorhagus) that has recently been shown to form a monophyletic group within Schizoptera. Characterized by the blunt tooth on the posterior margin of the propleuron, Schizoptera (Odontorhagus) previously comprised 10 species from Central and the northern part of South America. We here describe 20 new species in S. (Odontorhagus): S. acuta, n. sp., S. angularis, n. sp., S. ansata, n. sp., S. aspera, n. sp., S. brevis, n. sp., S. dentata, n. sp., S. dolosa, n. sp., S. enigmatica, n. sp., S. exacta, n. sp., S. gorgonensis, n. sp., S. insidiosa, n. sp., S. monstrosa, n. sp., S. piscicaudata, n. sp., S. quasicompleta, n. sp., S. radicata, n. sp., S. serrata, n. sp., S. simpla, n. sp., S. singularis, n. sp., S. trivialis, n. sp., S. ungulata, n. sp., increasing the species count of Schizoptera to 81. We provide morphological documentation including digital habitus images and genitalic drawings for all new species and document and redescribe existing species where feasible. Distribution maps and a key to the species of Schizoptera (Odontorhagus) are also presented. We predict that similar increases in species numbers are to be expected for the remaining subgenera of Schizoptera, making this genus a very diverse lineage of minute litter bugs.

We investigate the effect of specimen preservation on reliable detection of infection rates of the Chagas disease agent Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in the Californian endemic vector Triatoma protracta (Uhler) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) by using polymerase chain reaction. Infection rates in suboptimally preserved specimens (dry or low-percentage ethanol) were found to be not significantly different from optimally preserved samples. Based on our samples, the infection rate of vectors in one population in Escondido, San Diego County, has not changed significantly between 2007 and 2010.