Kissing Bug Encounters

This project aims on collecting data on the distribution and ecology of kissing bugs and their interactions with humans with emphasis on North America. Kissing bugs are also known as “conenose bugs” because of their elongate head and are classified in the subfamily Triatominae that is part of the large family Reduviidae, the assassin bugs. In contrast to other assassin bugs that prey on insects and other arthropods, kissing bugs are specialized to feed on the blood of vertebrates. About 150 species of kissing bugs are known to science, most of which are restricted to Central and South America, but about 12 species occur in North America. In Central and South America, kissing bugs vector the causative agent of Chagas Disease, a protozoan, but North American species can also carry that parasite. In North America, the bite of kissing bugs has been documented to cause allergic reactions in humans that sometimes can be severe. Some of the North American species are commonly encountered by humans, but other species are rarely seen. The iNaturalist site “Kissing Bug Encounters” is aiming on gathering photographs of kissing bugs in their natural environment or in people’s homes that will result in a better understanding of current distribution patterns of individual species across North America.

Find out more about kissing bugs and other Reduviidae at http://heteroptera.ucr.edu/ and more about kissing bugs and public health at http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/gen_info/vectors/ .

Photograph of live Triatoma rubida curtesy of Margy Green http://www.margygreen.com/Invertebrates/Insects/KissingBug/i-3M7VJWd less ↑