Family overview

Tiny, flattened, oval, reddish-brown. Vestigial wings (cannot fly). Blood-feeders on warm-blooded hosts.

Resurgent global pest since the 2000s due to pesticide resistance. Do not transmit known human diseases.

At a glance

Family facts.

Distribution

Worldwide

Habitat

Parasitic

Approx. species

100

Notable members

Common bed bug (Cimex lectularius), tropical bed bug, bat bug

In the catalogue

1 specimen