Cimex Lectularius
Although rare humans may become incidental hosts of cimex species of bats and birds.
Cimex lectularius. Cimex lectularius the common bed bug is the most widespread and best known species as it prefers to feed on human blood. Cimex lectularius which occurs in temperate regions and c. Hemipterus humans may also rarely become incidental hosts of cimex species that normally fed on bats and birds. Two other bed bug species reportedly feed on humans.
Cimex species are ectoparasites that typically feed on the blood of birds and mammals. Adult cimex are light brown to reddish brown flat oval and have no hind wings. Lectularius has a cosmopolitan distribution c. Cimex is a genus of insects in the family cimicidae.
Hemipterus which is common in the tropics attach to humans. Adults are on average 5 mm long oval shaped and dorso ventrally flattened. Cimicidae usually implicated in human infestations are cimex lectularius and c. Epa and other agencies all consider bed bugs a public health pest but bed bugs are not known to transmit disease.
Need to take blood meals from warm blooded hosts which are typically humans for c. The common bed bug cimex lectularius is a pest feeding on blood causing itchy bites and generally irritating their human hosts. Bed bug infestations are primarily the result of two species of insects from genus cimex. Cimex hemipterus the new and old world tropical pest and leptocimex boueti which feeds on bats and humans and is restricted to west africa.
Pilosellus lives on bats and although known as a bat bug will bite humans and is sometimes found living in human dwellings. The bed bug cimex lectularius is a member of the. Two species cimex lectularius and cimex hemipterus are known as bed bugs and frequently feed on humans although other species may parasitize humans opportunistically. Cimex lectularius is a species of cimicidae its primary hosts are humans and it is one of the world s major nuisance pests.
The former of which is cosmopolitan and the latter being found mostly in the tropics and sub tropics. Species that primarily parasitize bats are known as bat bugs. The prothorax of the common bed bug is more expanded laterally and the extreme margins are more. The two bed bugs most important to man are the common bed bug cimex lectularius and the tropical bed bug cimex hemipterus.
Hemipterus is limited to the tropics and sub tropics. These two species of bed bugs can be easily distinguished by looking at the prothorax the first segment of the thorax. Cimex lectularius the common bed bug and cimex hemipterus. Hemipterus although other mammals and birds can be utilized in the absence of a human host.
Although bed bugs can be infected with at least 28 human pathogens no studies have found that the insects are capable of transmitting any of these to humans. They have been found with methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus mrsa and with vancomycin resistant. The front wings are vestigial and reduced to pad like structures. Adults and all nymphal stages of cimex spp.
The two most common species of bed bugs implicated in human infestations are cimex lectularius and c.