The effect of meal temperature on heart rate in Rhodnius prolixus

Rhodnius prolixusis able to cool down the ingested blood during feeding on a warm-blooded host. This is possible because of a counter-current heat exchanger located in its head, which transfers heat from the warm blood to the insect haemolymph and can dissipate through the head cuticle. Given the key role haemolymph circulation in thermoregulation, we investigated the modulation of the activity of the heart during the warmed meal intake. We evaluated the impact of meal temperature on the heart rate and found that feeding led to an increase in the frequency of heart contractions, which increases with increasing food temperature. We also found that females have a higher heart rate during feeding compare to males.HIGHLIGHTSFeeding increases the heart rate ofRhodnius prolixusThe higher the meal temperature, the higher the heart rate becomesFemales have a higher heart rate than males