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Background  Circadian rhythms of triatomines, vectors of the etiological agent  Trypanosoma cruzi  responsible for Chagas disease, have been extensively studied in adults of the two most epidemiologically relevant vector species,  Rhodnius prolixus  and  Triatoma infestans . However, little attention has been dedicated to the activity patterns in earlier developmental stages, even though triatomine nymphs are equally capable of transmitting  T. cruzi  to humans. Because circadian rhythms may differ even between closely related species, studies that focus on this behavioral trait can also be used to shed light on the taxonomy of controversial taxa, which becomes especially relevant regarding vector species.    Methods  We compared the daily locomotor activity patterns of second- and third-instar nymphs of  Rhodnius prolixus  and  Rhodnius robustus  in order to unveil possible behavioral differences between these cryptic species. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers were sequenced to confirm species identification.    Results  Nymphs of both species had a bimodal pattern of locomotion and similar daily activity patterns, but  R. prolixus  is more active under light/dark cycles and depicts a more pronounced activity rhythm under constant darkness conditions.    Conclusions  We describe the implementation of an often-used automated method for the recording of individual locomotor activity to differentiate sibling species of  Rhodnius  with distinct epidemiological relevance. The higher levels of activity observed in the nymphs of  R. prolixus  could potentially contribute to increased vector capacity.    Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1482-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Rhodnius prolixus and R. robustus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) nymphs show different locomotor patterns on an automated recording system