The Polyctenidae are a rarely collected
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of
parasitic
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...
bugs of the superfamily
Cimicoidea
Cimicoidea is the name of a superfamily of insects belonging to the infraorder Cimicomorpha
The Cimicomorpha are an infraorder of insects in the order Hemiptera, the true bugs. The rostrum and other morphology of all members apparently is ad ...
. Polyctenidae species or bat bugs are obligate,
hematophagous
Hematophagy (sometimes spelled haematophagy or hematophagia) is the practice by certain animals of feeding on blood (from the Greek words αἷμα ' "blood" and φαγεῖν ' "to eat"). Since blood is a fluid tissue rich in nutritious p ...
ectoparasites
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...
of
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
s. These insects are not to be confused with
cimicid bat bug Bat bugs are blood-sucking insect parasites that host (biology), feed primarily on the blood of bats. The name has been applied to members of the family ''Cimicidae'' (e.g. ''Cimex lectularius'', ''Afrocimex constrictus'') and also to members of th ...
s, which are members of the family
Cimicidae
The Cimicidae are a family of small parasitic bugs that feed exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals. They are called cimicids or, loosely, bed bugs, though the latter term properly refers to the most famous member of the family, ''C ...
. A significant relationship appears to occur between the family groups and the species of hosts that indicates co-evolution and specialization.
There are currently 32 species of polyctenid bat bugs recognized world wide belonging to two subfamilies and five genera. Polyctenidae species occur both in the
Old World
The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...
(subfamily Polycteninae) and
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
(subfamily Hesperocteninae).
Subtaxa
*
Subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Polycteninae:
**
Genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Adroctenes''
***''
Adroctenes horvathi''
***''
Adroctenes jordani''
***''
Adroctenes magnus''
**
Genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Eoctenes''
***''
Eoctenes intermedius''
***''
Eoctenes spasmae''
***''
Eoctenes sinae''
***''
Eoctenes ferrisi''
***''
Eoctenes maai''
***''
Eoctenes nycteridis''
***''
Eoctenes coleurae''
**
Genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Hypoctenes''
***''
Hypoctenes petiolatus''
***''
Hypoctenes quadratus''
***''
Hypoctenes hutsoni''
***''
Hypoctenes clarus''
***''
Hypoctenes faini''
**
Genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Polyctenes''
***''
Polyctenes molossus''
*
Subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Hesperocteninae:
**
Genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Hesperoctenes''
***''
Hesperoctenes abalosi''
***''
Hesperoctenes angustatus''
***''
Hesperoctenes cartus''
***''
Hesperoctenes chorote''
***''
Hesperoctenes eumops''
***''
Hesperoctenes fumarius''
***''
Hesperoctenes giganteus''
***''
Hesperoctenes hermsi''
***''
Hesperoctenes impressus''
***''
Hesperoctenes limai''
***''
Hesperoctenes longiceps''
***''
Hesperoctenes minor''
***''
Hesperoctenes parvulus''
***''
Hesperoctenes setosus''
***''
Hesperoctenes tarsalis''
***''
Hesperoctenes vicinus''
References
Cimicomorpha
Parasitic bugs
Parasites of bats
Heteroptera families
{{Cimicomorpha-stub