Phylogenetic and ultrastructural characterization of bed bugs in the southwest of Iran: an open-closed rack system in the legs of C. Hemipterus

Cimex species (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) are of public health importance as ectoparasites of mammals and birds; however, only a few species are the putative ectoparasites of humans. Bed bugs are wingless bloodsucking hemipterous insects (Cimex spp.), sometimes infest household furniture, especially beds, and feed on human blood. Correct species identification is critical to designing targeted strategies for the surveillance and controlling of bed bugs in a given area. Adult bed bugs were collected from houses located in the southwest of Iran. They were morphologically identified to the species level and then confirmed using molecular methods. The mtDNA 16 S rRNA sequences obtained from the samples, and phylogenetic tree, showed that all the sequences belong to Cimex hemipterus (Fabricius). The Disparity Index among results showed that all the specimens were of a heterogeneous population. The leg structure of this species has not previously been documented, and this report showed an open-closed rack system. Previous studies claimed that C. lectularius is an abundant species of Cimicids in Iran. Our results showed the existence of C. hemipterus in the southwest of Iran.