ABSTRACT
The subfamily Triatominae of the family Reduviidae contains more than 110 species, of which several are vectors or potential vectors of Chagas’ disease (American trypanosomiasis). Most species, and all known vectors, occur in the New World (Lent and Wygodzinsky 1979). One genus and several species occur in India, where the possibility of Chagas’ disease exists, if only in theory (Schaefer 1998). Brief accounts of the biology and ecology of these Indian triatomines may be found in Ambrose (1999). Chagas’ disease is of great importance in South and Central America (see below), and a few rare cases have been reported in the United States (Hays et al. 1961, Ryckman 1981). The trypanosome, the triatomine vector, and wild reservoirs all occur in the United States (see Burkholder et al. 1980).
