382 BEDBUGS AND THEIR ALLIES 



of this bug have been found to contain trypanosomes in all 

 phases of development, and of very variable form, possibly 

 representing several species. These trypanosomes can be 

 inoculated into mice and rats and it is suggested that under 

 certain conditions they or others living in the gut of the bug may 

 cause disease in man. A number of cases are on record where 

 irregular fevers have followed the bites of this insect. Since these 

 fevers were shown to be non-malarial and showed symptoms of 

 typical trypanosome^ infection, it is possible that such an infec- 

 tion may really be transmitted to man by this bug as well as 

 by its close relatives in South America. It is also possible that 

 the bug may serve as an intermediate host for the kala-azar 

 parasite. 



Other Species. Several other species of bugs of this family 

 occur in Africa. One, Acanthaspis sulcipes, has been thought 

 to be the possible transmitter of a form of endemic goitre in 

 tropical Africa. In North America the family is further repre- 

 sented by the " kissing bugs/' of the genus Melanolestes. The 

 common kissing bug or " black corsair," M. picipes, became very 

 abundant in the United States a few years ago and gave op- 

 portunity for many startling newspaper stories. It is a large 

 black bug with reddish marks on the back and legs. Its bite 

 much resembles that of a wasp, though often much more serious, 

 occasioning more than local symptoms and even vomiting. 

 Allied bugs of the genera Reduvius, Rasahus 

 and Melanolestes occur in the warm parts of 

 North and Central America, and frequently 

 attack man and other mammals, though 

 their normal food in most cases is insects. 



In Venezuela and other parts of northern 

 South America a very common bug which in- 

 fests houses is Rhodnius prolixus, a species 

 which has been found capable of transmitting 

 FIG. 169. Pito bug, Trypanosoma cruzi. This species is not only 



Dysodius lunatus. -i v ,. . , , . 



(After Alcock.) cannibalistic in habits, but also devours excre- 



ment of other bugs, thus suggesting the possi- 

 bility of direct dissemination of trypanosomes from bug to bug. 

 Of other families, there are many bugs which occasionally attack 

 man but few which commonly do so. One which is worthy of 

 mention is the malodorous pito bug, Dysodius lunatus (Fig. 169), 



