Question

Hemimetabolous insect which is nocturnal and sanguivorous is
(a) Apis
(b) Cimex
(c) Musca
(d) Anopheles

Answer 1

Hemimetabolous insects are the type of insects that undergo some part of metamorphosis within the eggs and emerge from the eggs into nymphs that are similar in shape to the adults. The hemimetabolous insects which are both nocturnal and sanguivorous are bed bugs.

Complete answer:
The term nocturnal refers to the habit of the organisms that are more active at night than in the broad daylight. The term sanguivorous is associated with the organisms that feed on blood for nutrition.
Bed bugs are parasites that feed on blood and are more active at night. They comprise the genus Cimex and belong to the family Cimicidae. They are ectoparasitic insects that typically feed on the blood of birds and mammals. The two species Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus are known as bed bugs that feed on human blood.

Additional Information:
- These insects are 3 to 9mm in length and have flat reddish- brown bodies.
- The adults have beak- like mouthparts adapted for piercing and sucking and after a blood meal, their abdomen becomes plump and darker in colour.
So, the correct answer is, “ Cimex ”

Note:
- Newly hatched nymphs though similar in size, are translucent, and light in colour and become browner as they moult.
- They have five immature nymph stages and a final sexually mature adult stage. They undergo moulting and ecdysis to shed their exoskeletons after every stage.
- A Cimex nymph of any age that has consumed a blood meal usually has a bright red, translucent abdomen, which turns to brown over the next several hours, and finally to opaque black after two days as it digests the meal.