What does a blood‑fed bedbug look like? - briefly
A blood‑engorged Cimex lectularius appears markedly enlarged, with a distended, bright‑red to mahogany abdomen that often obscures the lighter brown coloration of the thorax. The overall body becomes more rounded and the cuticle may appear glossy due to the recent meal.
What does a blood‑fed bedbug look like? - in detail
An engorged bedbug measures approximately 5 mm in length, expanding to nearly 7 mm when fully distended. The body adopts a rounded, balloon‑like silhouette; the dorsal surface becomes convex, while the ventral side remains relatively flat.
Coloration shifts from a matte, reddish‑brown in the unfed state to a deep, dark crimson after a meal. The abdomen exhibits a translucent quality, allowing the underlying blood to be seen as a glossy, reddish pool beneath the cuticle.
Key visual characteristics include:
- Abdomen stretched outward, creating a pronounced bulge that can exceed the width of the head‑thorax region.
- Legs and antennae retain their pale, tan hue, contrasting sharply with the darkened body.
- The exoskeleton remains smooth, lacking any evident ridges or setae; only minute, hair‑like sensilla are visible at the termini of the antennae.
- Eyes appear as small, dark spots positioned laterally on the head, unchanged by feeding.
The overall impression is that of a small, rounded insect with a markedly swollen, blood‑filled abdomen, a deepening of the cuticular tone, and unchanged appendage coloration. These traits enable rapid visual identification of a recently fed individual.