General Information

COMMON NAMES: Common Bedbug COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group - rare; Land, dwellings SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; External parasite on people, suck blood KEY FEATURES: Small flattened, oval insect to 5mmBL. BODY flattened, oval, without wings; rust brown changing to dark red brown after a bloodmeal. SIMILAR SPECIES: Tropical Bedbug (Cimex hemipterus, might be present) has pronotum width = 2xLength at midline.

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+		+

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Cimex lectularius
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Hemiptera; Heteroptera; CIMICIDAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: External parasite on people, suck blood. Comments: At night bedbugs emerge from hiding and detect a bloodmeal by the warmth and carbon dioxide of people (sometimes other mammals and birds). Reactions to their bites vary from nil to severe allergic reactions caused mainly by the saliva they insect. The result can be an itching and inflamed wheal up to 1cmØ. They run fast, and during the day they hide in crevices and other dark places. They are not known to be vectors in transmitting diseases between people.

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen+photo, 2/3004, from a hotel, M.Poeschko with ID as Cimex lectularius, largest 4.5mmBL.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zB04a, zD04a

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