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Definition of Cimex lectularius
1. Noun. Bug of temperate regions that infests especially beds and feeds on human blood.
Exact synonyms: Bed Bug, Bedbug, Chinch
Generic synonyms: Bug, Hemipteran, Hemipteron, Hemipterous Insect
Group relationships: Cimex, Genus Cimex
Generic synonyms: Bug, Hemipteran, Hemipteron, Hemipterous Insect
Group relationships: Cimex, Genus Cimex
Medical Definition of Cimex lectularius
1. Member of the family Cimicidae, with a flat, reddish-brown wingless body, prominent lateral eyes, and a three-jointed beak; it produces a characteristic pungent odour from thoracic stink glands and is an abundant pest in human abodes, especially in the tropics under poor sanitary conditions. Although the bedbug's bite produces characteristic linear groups of pruritic wheals with a central haemorrhagic punctum, human disease has not been proved to be transmitted by it, with the possible exception of hepatitis B. Synonym: bedbug. Origin: L. Cimex, bug, L. Lectulus, a bed (05 Mar 2000)