We report for the first time the parasitism of eggs of two triatomine Chagas disease vectors, Triatoma infestans and T. vitticeps, by the microhymenopterous parasitoid Aprostocetus asthenogmus. We also describe the first identification of this parasitoid in South America. A. asthenogmus were captured near unparasitized triatomine colonies in the municipality of Vitória, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, and placed into pots with recently laid triatomine eggs. After 24 days, we observed wasps emerging from T. infestans and T. vitticeps eggs. Several characteristics of this parasitoid species suggest that it could be a potential biological control agent of triatomine species. 1. Introduction Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) is a subfamily of hematophagous insects known as “kissing bugs” whose members are principally distributed throughout the Neotropical region [1–3]. Certain triatomine species are responsible for the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae)—the etiological agent of Chagas disease, which is one of the most dreaded parasitic diseases of Latin America [4]. Attempts to control T. cruzi transmission began soon after Carlos Chagas’ work in the 1900s. The advent of synthetic insecticides in the 1940s was the first major breakthrough in identifying effective techniques for kissing bug control; the introduction of pyrethroids, a more cost-effective synthetic type of insecticide, was another important advance that occurred in the 1980s [5]. Despite these efforts, high levels of vector-borne transmission still occur in many areas, and several endemic countries had to develop large-scale surveillance and intervention programs [6]. Since the Chagas disease discovery, the biological control of its vectors has been considered [7–10]. However, its application to effective triatomine control in the field is still incipient; little success has been achieved by the use of parasitoid wasps [10], although recent studies with entomopathogenic fungi are promising [11]. Several species clustered in different taxonomic groups might function as triatomine pathogens, predators, or parasitoids [12, 13]. For example, the best-known kissing bug parasitoid Telenomus fariai Lima, 1927 (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae), is able to parasitize the eggs of species in three triatomine genera, Panstrongylus, Rhodnius, and Triatoma [12, 14, 15]. Parasitoid wasps are distributed throughout the world in a variety of environments [16] and usually parasitize the eggs of a wide range of insects, many Triatominae species among them [12]. They are
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