Dark Kissing Bug vs Wax Scale

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dark Kissing Bug Wax Scale
Scientific Name Panstrongylus megistus Ceroplastes destructor
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Reduviidae Coccidae
Size 26-34 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Underground Heathland
Diet Blood Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay Oceania, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Dark Kissing Bug

A large triatomine bug and important Chagas disease vector in Brazil. It has adapted to live in both sylvatic and domestic environments.

💡

Did You Know?

It was the triatomine species Carlos Chagas used when he first discovered the disease that bears his name.

Wax Scale

A scale insect that covers itself with a thick waxy dome for protection.

💡

Did You Know?

Its waxy covering can be nearly a centimeter thick and perfectly dome-shaped.