Editor’s Assessment

Triatomines or kissing bugs are vectors of Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. Chagas disease is predominantly a public health problem in the Americas, however, the increasing risks and migratory movements of people infected with the parasite spreading it to other continents has increased the need to strengthen entomological surveillance in regions previously considered non-endemic. As part of the GBIF and TDR supported vectors of human disease series in GigaByte we have here a dataset of non-American triatomine occurrences. This work being the result of an exhaustive review of public information combined with substantial interinstitutional collaborations (particularly China). In total 396 records were reported between 1926 and 2022, corresponding to 16 species of the genera Linschosteus and Triatoma from Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and include verified records with geographic coordinates, collection dates, and ecological information. Data was validated and peer reviewed, and records that look suspect were fixed or omitted. The dataset described in this paper should constitute a valuable compilation geographic data non-American triatomines, which is as complete, updated, and integrated as possible.

Editor’s Assessment

Triatomines or kissing bugs are vectors of Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. Chagas disease is predominantly a public health problem in the Americas, however, the increasing risks and migratory movements of people infected with the parasite spreading it to other continents has increased the need to strengthen entomological surveillance in regions previously considered non-endemic. As part of the GBIF and TDR supported vectors of human disease series in GigaByte we have here a dataset of non-American triatomine occurrences. This work being the result of an exhaustive review of public information combined with substantial interinstitutional collaborations (particularly China). In total 396 records were reported between 1926 and 2022, corresponding to 16 species of the genera Linschosteus and Triatoma from Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and include verified records with geographic coordinates, collection dates, and ecological information. Data was validated and peer reviewed, and records that look suspect were fixed or omitted. The dataset described in this paper should constitute a valuable compilation geographic data non-American triatomines, which is as complete, updated, and integrated as possible.