The taxonomic catalog of the Brazilian fauna: biodiversity and geographical distribution of Triatominae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Brazil Author Galvão, Cleber Laboratório Nacional e Internacional de Referência em Taxonomia de Triatomíneos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Author Gil-Santana, Hélcio R. Laboratório de Diptera, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Avenida Brasil 4365, 21045 - 900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. clebergalvao@gmail.com Author Oliveira, Jader de Laboratório de Entomologia em Saúde Pública, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo. & Programa de Pós-GraduaÇão em Ciência, InovaÇão e Tecnologia para a Amazônia, Universidade Federal do Acre. Rodovia BR 364, km 4, 69920 - 900 Rio Branco, AC, Brazil. text Zoologia 2024 e 24006 2024-09-06 41 1 28 https://doi.org/10.1590/s1984-4689.v41.e24006 journal article 10.1590/S1984-4689.v41.e24006 1984-4689 2EB17AC1-901B-483D-9752-3574A681A1 Panstrongylus megistus (Burmeister, 1835) Fig. 6 Distribution. Acre , Alagoas , Bahia , Ceará , Distrito Federal, EspÍrito Santo , Goiás , Maranhão , Mato Grosso , Mato Grosso do Sul , Minas Gerais , Pará , ParaÍba , Paraná , Pernambuco , PiauÍ , Rio de Janeiro , Rio Grande do Norte , Rio Grande do Sul , Rondônia , Santa Catarina , São Paulo , Sergipe and Tocantins . Public health importance. This is the first triatomine to be recognized as a vector of Chagas disease ( Chagas 1909 ) and the fourth vector in importance of this disease ( WHO 2020 ). It is striking that some authors of the first half of past century stated that it was an exclusive domestic species (e.g., Brumpt 1936 ), although it was primarily native from the Brazilian forests, where it is commonly found. It was considered as the main domestic vector in Brazil before 1930s when it started to be progressively replaced by T. infestans . However, following the success of the control program in the southern cone, T. infestans was eliminated in many areas ( Dias and Schofield 1999 ), and P. megistus initiated a new process of invasion and domiciliation in several states of Brazil . It is currently considered to be the main domestic vector of Chagas disease in the central, eastern, and southeastern regions of Brazil ( Patterson et al. 2009 , Castro et al. 2018 ). It feeds on the blood of mammals, including rodents, opossums, and humans ( Lent and Wygodzinsky 1979 , Pires et al. 2002a ). Remarks. The bionomics of this vector is relatively well-studied ( Pires et al. 2002a , 2002b , 2004 ).