Morphological and Molecular Identification of Cimex hemipterus Fabricius, 1803 (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) and First Report of C. lectularius Linnaeus, 1758, in Madagascar

Abstract

Bed bugs are hematophagous insects with a long history of presence in human communities. Over the last three decades, infestations by bed bugs in human dwellings have drastically increased, leading to a rise in bed bug concerns. This study was conducted in May 2019 in the Miarinarivo district of Madagascar. Eight locations with suspected infestations were inspected. Of these, five locations were found with active bed bug infestations. Overall, 23 (19 adults and four nymphs) specimens with numbers per apartment ranging from 2 to 6 were collected and analyzed using morphological and molecular approaches. Of 19 adults collected, 18 were morphologically identified as Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), with the final adult identified as C. lectularius. Morphological identification of adults was confirmed by sequencing 450 bp fragment of COI gene. All four nymphs were also identified molecularly as C. hemipterus. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree of COI gene and sequence alignment of C. hemipterus specimens revealed the presence of two groups (first group clustered with previously reported haplotype from Asian and African countries and the second group encompassed a lesser known haplotype exclusively from Africa (Kenya and Senegal). This study presents low genetic diversity among C. hemipterus specimens and, for the first time, reports the occurrence of C. lectularius, known as temperate species, in Madagascar. These results can be helpful in control management strategies against these ectoparasites in this country.

First official report of bed bug (Hemiptera, Cimicidae) infestations in Algeria

“…In Africa, bed bug infestations have been poorly documented over the past two decades. Cimex hemipterus was considered the most prevalent species, while C. lectularius was restricted to some countries in central and southern Africa such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Madagascar ( Jupp et al, 1978 , Newberry and Jansen, 1986 , Gbakima et al, 2002 , Emmanuel et al, 2014 , Akhoundi et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, the accurate diagnosis of these species is crucial for designing effective control programs involving insecticide selection and the type of monitoring system used.…”

Public Awareness, Perception, and Knowledge of Bed Bug Infestation Prevalence in Iraq

“…Since all previous studies in Iraq have merely relied on traditional methods for bed bugs' identification, it is necessary to employ molecular identification along with morphological identification to distinguish between the two similar species of bed bugs. Numerous studies have indicated that it is possible to achieve high accu-253 http://jad.tums.ac.ir Published Online: Sep 30, 2023 racy in distinguishing between the two species of bed bugs by relying on molecular identification and morphological identification (28)(29).…”

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“…Besides tropical regions, C. hemipterus has recently expanded to other temperate zones in the Middle East, North Australia, the United States, Russia, Sweden, Italy, and France [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Similarly, C. lectularius has lately been reported from Madagascar [13].…”