Cimex lectularius: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the cimex lectularius lives – recorded in 14 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Cimex lectularius
Group	Grasshoppers, bugs & other insects
Found in	14 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Class	Insect
Order	Hemiptera
Family	Cimicidae

Where does the cimex lectularius live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the cimex lectularius in 14 countries and territories across Europe and North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the cimex lectularius?

The cimex lectularius (Cimex lectularius) is an insect in the order Hemiptera and the family Cimicidae, genus Cimex. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the cimex lectularius

Cimex lectularius, the common bedbug, is a species of Cimicidae. An ectoparasite, its primary hosts are humans. It is one of the world's major "nuisance pests".

Although bedbugs can be infected with at least 28 human pathogens, no studies have found that the insects are capable of transmitting any of these to humans. They have been found with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), but the significance of this is still unknown.

Investigations into potential transmission of HIV, MRSA, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hepatitis E have not shown that bedbugs can spread these diseases. However, there is some evidence that arboviruses may be transmissible.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Cimex lectularius (revision 1362267869), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q940337 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).