EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF CIMEX : THE PROBOSCIS 499 



extended ; the elytra are rudimentary and lie over the metathorax. The 

 abdomen is uncovered and consists of eight segments. Legs slender; 

 anterior tibiae more than twice as long, and the posterior three times as 

 long, as the tarsi, which are three-jointed. 



The interest attaching to this genus centres round the bed bugs, of 

 which there are three known species, lectularius, L., rotundatus, Sign., 

 and boueti, Brumpt ; the latter is a doubtful species and may prove 

 to be C. pipistrelli. Cimex hirundinis, C. columbarius and C. pipis- 

 trelli are as their names imply, parasitic on the swallow, pigeon and bat 

 respectively. 



EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF CIMEX 



The external anatomy of Cimex differs in so many respects from that 

 of the other Rhynchota that it merits a separate description. The 

 following account refers especially to the Indian species, rotundatus, 

 there being few divergences, except in the prothorax, between this species 

 and lectularius. As regards the mouth parts, the account will apply 

 generally also to Conorhinus, the disposition of the parts being closely 

 similar in the two genera, as will be evident from the figures. 



The body of the bed bug is strongly flattened in the dorso-ventral di- 

 rection, and is divided into head, thorax, and abdomen, the two latter 

 regions showing distinct segmentation. The abdomen is the largest of 

 the three regions, and is broad and oval in the female, oval and pointed 

 posteriorly in the male (Plate LXI, figs. 1 and 3). 



The head has the shape of a flattened and bluntly pointed pyramid, 

 and is attached to the thorax without the intervention of a neck. The eyes 



are situated on the posterior third of the lateral bor- 



The head 

 ders, and appear as small dome-shaped elevations, 



conspicuous on account of their black pigmentation. The antennae are 

 inserted in front of the eyes, also on the lateral borders. Each antenna 

 consists of four elongate and cylindrical joints, of which the basal one 

 is much stouter than the rest ; the second joint is the longest, the fourth 

 or terminal joint only a little longer than the basal one and thinner than 

 the others. In the resting position the antennae are directed outwards 

 and a little forward. 



The proboscis commences at the distal end of the head, and arches at 

 once downwards and backwards from its origin to lie on the ventral sur- 

 face, reaching as far backwards as the origin of the first 



, . . , . The proboscis 



pair of legs. Dorsal to its point of origin there is 



a small two-jointed flap, the labrum (Plate LXII, fig. 9), which is arched 



