Classification and systematics of the Triatominae

In understanding biodiversity, taxonomy and systematics work together, although the two terms are often confused. The objective of systematics is to understand the natural mechanisms responsible for the biodiversity, while the task of taxonomy is to set up a useful classification of the organisms concerned. The Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) are the vectors of Chagas disease. Their classification faces frequent divergence between the modern concepts of systematics and the traditional, morphologically-based, classification. This chapter revises the main concepts of species in general, and their application to the Triatominae. We summarize the current classification of the vectors of Chagas disease, and offer ways in which the main species concepts might be usefully reviewed.