Data from: Atlas of Mexican Triatominae (Reduviidae: Hemiptera) and vector transmission of Chagas disease

Chagas disease is one of the most important yet neglected parasitic
diseases in Mexico and is transmitted by Triatominae. Nineteen of the 31
Mexican triatomine species have been consistently found to invade human
houses and all have been found to be naturally infected with Trypanosoma
cruzi. The present paper aims to produce a state-of-knowledge atlas of
Mexican triatomines and analyse their geographic associations with T.
cruzi, human demographics and landscape modification. Ecological niche
models (ENMs) were constructed for the 19 species with more than 10
records in North America, as well as for T. cruzi. The 2010 Mexican
national census and the 2007 National Forestry Inventory were used to
analyse overlap patterns with ENMs. Niche breadth was greatest in species
from the semiarid Nearctic Region, whereas species richness was associated
with topographic heterogeneity in the Neotropical Region, particularly
along the Pacific Coast. Three species, Triatoma longipennis, Triatoma
mexicana and Triatoma barberi, overlapped with the greatest numbers of
human communities, but these communities had the lowest rural/urban
population ratios. Triatomine vectors have urbanised in most regions,
demonstrating a high tolerance to human-modified habitats and broadened
historical ranges, exposing more than 88% of the Mexican population and
leaving few areas in Mexico without the potential for T. cruzi
transmission.