A Pilot Radio Telemetry Field Study of Triatomine Vectors (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) of the Chagas Disease Parasite.

We conducted the first pilot radio telemetry study of hematophagous arthropods by placing transmitters on wild-caught triatomine insects ('kissing bugs'), vectors of the Chagas disease parasite. In Texas-a recognized hotspot for triatomine diversity and locally-acquired human and animal Chagas disease-we tagged five female and four male Triatoma gerstaeckeri (Stål) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), as well as one female and one male Triatoma sanguisuga (Leconte) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in three counties from 2015 to 2017. In comparative trials, placement of the transmitter on the dorsal side of the abdomen underneath the hemelytra wings, with the transmitter antenna shortened to 3 cm, yielded the best results. We tracked the movements of the 11 tagged bugs over an average of 4.8 d (range of 1 to 12 d) and detected 18 movement events with an average distance of 3.8 m (range of 1 to 20 m). This pilot study demonstrates the potential utility for using telemetry as a tool for studying fine-scale non-flight movement of triatomines and the discovery of cryptic resting habitats. Future studies using this or similar technologies to study movement and behavior of triatomines could test for site-fidelity of resting habitats and provide novel insight into aspects of vector biology that could be targeted in disease risk reduction efforts.

Clear Resin Casting of Arthropods of Medical Importance for Use in Educational and Outreach Activities.

Arthropod-related morbidity and mortality represent a major threat to human and animal health. An important component of reducing vector-borne diseases and injuries is training the next generation of medical entomologists and educating the public in proper identification of arthropods of medical importance. One challenge of student training and public outreach is achieving a safe mounting technique that allows observation of morphological characteristics, while minimizing damage to specimens that are often difficult to replace. Although resin-embedded specimens are available from commercial retailers, there is a need for a published protocol that allows entomologists to economically create high-quality resin-embedded arthropods for use in teaching and outreach activities. We developed a detailed protocol using readily obtained equipment and supplies for creating resin-embedded arthropods of many species for use in teaching and outreach activities.