Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Clickable Guide

Interactive image map to choose major taxa Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

Upcoming Events

National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27
Photo#617611
Batbugs? - Cimex pilosellus
Copyright © 2012 Cam Lay

Batbugs? - Cimex pilosellus
Malta, Phillips County, Montana, USA
February 28, 2012
Found in a bathtub in a residence. They look like bat bugs to me. Would appreciate confirmation from those more experienced. These are suspended in hand sanitizer, by the way, in order to get them to sit still in the same focal plane.

Images of this individual: tag all
Batbugs? - Cimex pilosellus Batbugs? - Cimex Batbugs? - Cimex
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Cam Lay on 2 March, 2012 - 10:12am
Last updated 2 March, 2012 - 12:23pm

Comments

Swallow bug, not bat bug
I'm fairly confident these are actually swallow bugs, Oeciacus vicarius. Hemelytral pads for swallow bugs tend to be lighter in color than the abdomen, which we see here. More concretely though, the last two antennal segments are the same length. In bat bugs, the penultimate segment is longer than the ultimate. I'm using the key found within Monograph of Cimicidae (Usinger), and other keys indicate the same. Pronotum shape is also a better match for swallow bug than for bat bugs.
… M Kerr, 12 August, 2025 - 5:46pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… v belov, 2 March, 2012 - 12:23pm login or register to post comments

Cimex pilosellus
This species is apparently not represented on BugGuide (the 'bat bug' page should be expanded and separate these as two valid species.). I recommend re-imaging the bat bugs separately so they can be uploaded to a species page.
… Blaine Mathison, 2 March, 2012 - 12:20pm login or register to post comments

bat bugs
the ones with longer pronotal setae are bat bugs; I am assuming Cimex pilosellus based on geographic distribution.
… Blaine Mathison, 2 March, 2012 - 12:07pm login or register to post comments

 
batbugs
Very helpful! And will be a substantial relief to the folks that sent them in.

Thanks!
… Cam Lay, 2 March, 2012 - 12:11pm login or register to post comments

 
bat bugs
they often come into homes when their normal hosts (bats) are removed or leave. in these cases, they have been known to feed on humans but do not thrive on them for long. patients may experience bites but will not become a chronic problem like with the true human bed bugs.
… Blaine Mathison, 2 March, 2012 - 12:16pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2025 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact