LIFE CYCLE

EGG

Oviposition by female triatomines begins 10-30 days after copulation. Each female typically deposits only one or two eggs daily, producing a total of 10-30 eggs between bloodmeals. Depending on the species, a single female may produce up to 1,000 eggs in her lifetime, but about 200 is average.

Each oval egg is about 2-2.5 x 1 mm in size. The eggs may be white or pink. Most species deposit eggs singly, but some females lay eggs in small clusters or masses. Different species lay eggs freely or glue them to a substrate. Gluing eggs to the substrate is seen in at least two species of Triatoma and many species of Rhodnius, Psammolestes, Cavernicola, and Parabelminus. In those species that glue their eggs to the substrate, the eggs may be single or in clusters. Eggs of some species turn pink or red before hatching 10-37 days after oviposition, depending on temperature. For further details see Krinsky (2019).