Bed bug
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| - | + | '''Bed bugs''' are [[parasite|parasitic]] insects of the [[Cimicidae|cimicid]] family that feed exclusively on blood. The term most commonly refers to members of the genus ''Cimex'' of which '''''Cimex lectularius''''', the common bed bug, is the best known as it prefers to feed on human blood although other ''Cimex'' species are specialized to other animals, e.g., bat bugs, ''C. pipistrelli'' (Europe), ''C. pilosellus'' (western US), and ''C. adjunctus'' (entire eastern US). | |
| - | '''Traumatic insemination''', also known as '''hypodermic insemination''', is the [[mating]] [[Animal sexual behaviour|practice]] in some species of [[invertebrate]]s in which the male pierces the female's [[abdomen]] with his penis and injects his [[sperm]] through the wound into her abdominal cavity ([[hemocoel]]). The sperm diffuse through the female's [[hemolymph]], reaching the ovaries and resulting in fertilization. The process is detrimental to the female's health. It creates an open wound which impairs the female until it heals, and is susceptible to infection. The injection of sperm and [[Semen|ejaculatory fluids]] into the hemocoel can also trigger an [[immune reaction]] in the female. [[Bedbug]]s, which reproduce solely by traumatic insemination, have evolved a pair of sperm-receptacles, known as the ''spermalege''. The spermalege reduce the damage to the female bedbug during traumatic insemination. | + | |
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| - | The evolutionary origins of traumatic insemination are disputed. Although it evolved independently in many [[invertebrate]] species, traumatic insemination is most highly adapted and thoroughly studied in bedbugs, particularly ''Cimex lectularius''. Traumatic insemination is not limited to male-female couplings, or even couplings of the same species. Both [[Homosexual behavior in animals|homosexual]] and [[Interspecies breeding|inter-species]] traumatic inseminations have been observed. | + | |
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| - | *[[Evolutionary arms race]] | + | * [[List of cutaneous conditions]] |
| - | *[[Sexual conflict]] | + | |
| - | *[[Sexual cannibalism]] | + | |
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Bed bugs are parasitic insects of the cimicid family that feed exclusively on blood. The term most commonly refers to members of the genus Cimex of which Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug, is the best known as it prefers to feed on human blood although other Cimex species are specialized to other animals, e.g., bat bugs, C. pipistrelli (Europe), C. pilosellus (western US), and C. adjunctus (entire eastern US).
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