Blood Digestion in Triatomine Insects

Triatomine insects had a fundamental role in the establishment of essential concepts of insect physiology, especially thanks to the use of Rhodnius prolixus as a model for basic research in the last century. The major unique feature that made triatomines excellent models is their strictly hematophagous way of life, as molting in nymph stages and oogenesis in the adult are triggered by a blood meal. Therefore, development and reproduction are strictly controlled in an on/off fashion by the arrival of the voluminous blood meal at the digestive channel. However, these insects are less popular in the science arena due to the scarcity of genetic and molecular data. The last few years, however, have manifested a change in the field due to the appearance of large datasets of genomic, transcriptomic, and phylogenetic molecular information, as well as a series of new methodological advances. Here, we tried to make a brief connection between the classical outline of blood digestion physiology in triatomines and this new science scenario, trying to identify critical information that is still lacking.