Triatoma melanocephala Neiva & Pinto, 1923, a rare species of triatomine with a restricted geographic distribution, is redescribed in the present paper. Specimens of adults were collected inside houses and adults and nymphs naturally infected with T. cruzi were found in bromeliad epiphyts in sylvatic sites. This species of bug was reared with difficulty in the laboratory and required about 350 days to develop from egg to adult.