2 research outputs found
Biological and genetic aspects of crosses between species of the genus Meccus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae Triatominae)
The degree of reproductive isolation between Meccus phyllosomus and the
remaining five species of the genus Meccus, as well as between Meccus
bassolsae and Meccus pallidipennis, Meccus longipennis and Meccus
picturatus, was examined. Fertility and the segregation of
morphological characteristics were examined in two generations of
hybrids from crosses between these species. The percentage of couples
with offspring (fertile) was high in the vast majority of sets of
crosses, with the exception of that between ♂ M. phyllosomus and
♀ Meccus mazzottii. In sets of crosses involving M. bassolsae
specimens, no first-generation (F1) individuals were morphologically
similar to M. bassolsae, but instead shared the morphology of the other
parental species. A similar phenomenon was observed in most sets of
crosses involving M. phyllosomus. These results indicated that
different degrees of reproductive isolation exist among the species of
Meccus involved in this study. The biological evidence obtained in this
study does not support the proposal that M. bassolsae is a full
species. It could indicate that, on the contrary, it should be
considered a subspecies of a single polytypic species. The biological
evidence does support the proposal that M. phyllosomus is a full
species