Lara Álvaro, Hernández María Laura, Yumiseva César A, Grijalva Mario J, Villacís Anita G
Centro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina (CISeAL), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador.
Unidad Operativa de Vectores y Ambiente (UnOVE), Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigación en Endemo-Epidemias, Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud Dr. Carlos Malbrán (CeNDIE-ANLIS Malbrán), Santa María de Punilla, Córdoba, Argentina.
Front Insect Sci. 2025 Mar 11;5:1547963. doi: 10.3389/finsc.2025.1547963. eCollection 2025.
The genus is one of the most important within the subfamily Triatominae, which includes vectors of , the etiological agent of Chagas disease (CD). In particular, and have drawn attention for their role in disease transmission. These species exhibit notable ecological and morphological differences. Previous studies have investigated aspects such as morphometry, cytogenetics, and ecological niches, including experimental crosses between these species that resulted in viable F1 hybrids. However, no F2 generation was produced, as the eggs laid were empty and failed to hatch, limiting the study to F1 hybrids.
We analyzed wing morphometric traits (size and shape) from 262 individuals, including , , and their hybrids, using geometric morphometry techniques. This study aimed to build upon previous findings by analyzing the wing morphometric and environmental adaptations of , , and their hybrids (♀ × ♂) to determine whether the hybrids exhibited similarities in wing size and shape, regardless of maternal or paternal phenotype.
Differences in centroid size were observed between the parental species, with having a larger size, but no significant differences were found among the hybrids. Females showed greater shape similarity between and the ♀ × ♂ hybrids, while males showed similarity among hybrids. Discriminant analysis was more effective for distinguishing parental groups than with hybrids. The -means algorithm successfully classified the parental species and hybrid groups, although with low assignment percentages and a different number of groups than expected.
The smaller wing size in hybrid offspring may indicate lower fitness, potentially due to genetic effects or reduced viability. Geometric morphometry effectively distinguishes parental species from hybrids, supporting previous research in Triatominae. The study suggests that environmental and reproductive pressures may influence these species and explores the dispersive capabilities of triatomines, contributing to the understanding of hybridization processes.
该属是锥蝽亚科中最重要的属之一，锥蝽亚科包含恰加斯病（CD）病原体克氏锥虫的传播媒介。特别是，[具体物种1]和[具体物种2]因其在疾病传播中的作用而备受关注。这些物种表现出显著的生态和形态差异。先前的研究调查了形态测量、细胞遗传学和生态位等方面，包括这些物种之间的实验杂交，产生了可存活的F1杂种。然而，没有产生F2代，因为产下的卵是空的且未能孵化，这使得研究仅限于F1杂种。
我们使用几何形态测量技术分析了262个个体（包括[具体物种1]、[具体物种2]及其杂种）的翅形态特征（大小和形状）。本研究旨在通过分析[具体物种1]、[具体物种2]及其杂种（♀×♂）的翅形态测量和环境适应性，在先前研究结果的基础上，确定杂种在翅大小和形状上是否表现出相似性，而不论其母本或父本的表型如何。
在亲本物种之间观察到形心大小的差异，[具体物种1]的尺寸更大，但杂种之间未发现显著差异。雌性在[具体物种1]和♀×♂杂种之间表现出更大的形状相似性，而雄性在杂种之间表现出相似性。判别分析在区分亲本群体方面比区分杂种更有效。K -均值算法成功地对亲本物种和杂种群体进行了分类，尽管分配百分比较低且群体数量与预期不同。
杂种后代较小的翅尺寸可能表明其适应性较低，这可能是由于遗传效应或活力降低所致。几何形态测量有效地将亲本物种与杂种区分开来，支持了先前在锥蝽亚科中的研究。该研究表明环境和生殖压力可能会影响这些物种，并探索了锥蝽的扩散能力，有助于理解杂交过程。
