What does the Turkish bedbug look like? - briefly
The Turkish bedbug (Cimex hemipterus) is an oval, dorsoventrally flattened insect, reddish‑brown, about 4–5 mm long, with a smooth exoskeleton and visible golden‑colored eyes. It lacks wings and its abdomen expands noticeably after a blood meal.
What does the Turkish bedbug look like? - in detail
The Turkish bedbug, Cimex hemipterus, presents a compact, dorsoventrally flattened body measuring 4.5–5.5 mm in length when fully fed. The exoskeleton exhibits a reddish‑brown hue that darkens after a blood meal, with a glossy, non‑shiny surface. The abdomen is oval, segmented into five visible dorsal plates (tergites) that display faint pale markings near the edges. The head is small, concealed beneath the pronotum, and bears a pair of short, curved antennae composed of five segments.
The thorax supports three pairs of legs, each ending in a single claw and a set of tiny pulvilli that facilitate rapid movement across fabrics. Legs are slender, pale‑yellow, and adapted for climbing vertical surfaces. Wing pads are absent, confirming the species’ flightlessness. The mouthparts form a slender, needle‑like proboscis (stylet) suited for piercing skin and extracting blood; the stylet is concealed within a sheath when not in use.
Key distinguishing features include:
- Slightly larger size compared with the common bedbug (Cimex lectularius).
- Pronotum with a faint, transverse light‑colored line near the posterior margin.
- Abdomen with a more pronounced, rounded posterior edge.
- Nymphal stages retain the same coloration but lack the fully developed reddish tone of adults.
Eggs are oval, 0.9 mm long, and deposited in clusters of 10–30 within crevices, exhibiting a creamy white color that becomes translucent after hatching. Nymphs undergo five molts, each stage increasing in size and darkening progressively. The species’ sensory organs include a pair of long, slender setae on the head, providing tactile detection of host movement.
Overall, the Turkish bedbug’s morphology reflects adaptation to a parasitic lifestyle: a flattened body for concealment in tight spaces, robust legs for swift locomotion, and a specialized proboscis for efficient blood feeding.