Panstrongylus megistus is a blood-drinking insect in the subfamily Triatominae. It is found in the Guianas,[1] Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay,
Uruguay and Argentina.[2] It is an important vector of Trypanosoma cruzi (the causative agent of Chagas disease),[3] found particularly in Brazil.[1] Besides humans, P. megistus is known to feed on birds, rodents, horses, dogs, opossums and bats.[2]
P. megistus is frequently found in domestic dwellings in Brazil, while in other countries it is largely a wild species.[2] Within Brazil, the P. megistus's range stretches from the northeast to the south of the country,[4] corresponding roughly with the Atlantic Forest region, though the species also occupies parts of the caatinga and cerrado ecoregions.[2] The states of Bahia and Minas Gerais have the highest populations of P. megistus in Brazil. In southern parts of the country, domestic colonization is rare.[1]
The species was described in 1835 by Hermann Burmeister, who termed it Conorhinus megistus.[5]: 130 It was identified as a vector for Chagas disease in Carlos Chagas's original 1909 description of the condition.[5]: 394 The insects are typically black in colour with red markings.[6]
^ abcdPatterson, J. S.; Barbosa, S. E.; Feliciangeli, M. D. (2009). "On the genus Panstrongylus Berg 1879: Evolution, ecology and epidemiological significance". Acta Tropica. 110 (2–3): 187–199. doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2008.09.008. PMID18929527.
^de Paiva, V.F.; Belintani, T.; de Oliviera, J.; Galvão, C.; da Rosa, J.A. (2022). "A review of the taxonomy and biology of Triatominae subspecies (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)". Parasitology Research. 121 (2): 499–512. doi:10.1007/s00436-021-07414-2. PMID34984541. S2CID245673495.