i5K: Bed bug

Bed bug (Cimex lectularius)

Bed bug Source: CDC/ Harvard University, Dr. Gary Alpert; Dr. Harold Harlan; Richard Pollack. Photo Credit: Piotr Naskrecki (http://phil.cdc.gov/phil) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Links BCM-HGSC data

Contact: Suba Subba or Coby Schal

Researchers involved:
Size (or size of nearest relative): 866 MBp

Keywords (and why important): Novel chemistry, evolutionary branching.

Potentially lethal toxin. Model organism for understanding dermonecrotic envenomation (sphingomylinase D). Focus of research to understand neurotic fractions in venom. Provides appropriate phylogenetic sampling across diversity of order Araneae. Easily obtained from colleagues in Oregon.