Venom exaptation and adaptation during the trophic switch to blood-feeding by kissing bugs
Summary: Kissing bugs are known to produce anticoagulant venom that facilitates blood-feeding.However, it is unknown how this saliva evolved and if the venom produced by the entomophagous ancestors of kissing bugs would have helped or hindered the trophic womens button up shift.In this study, we show that venoms produced by extant predatory assassi