''Triatoma protracta'' is a species of bugs in the family

Reduviidae The Reduviidae is a large Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family of the suborder Heteroptera of the Order (biology), order Hemiptera (true bugs). Among the Hemiptera and together with the Nabidae almost all species are terrestrial ambush ...

. It is known commonly as the western bloodsucking conenose.Conenose Bugs.
Pests of Homes, Structures, People, and Pets. Publication 7455, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. It is distributed in the western United States
Parasites - American Trypanosomiasis (also known as Chagas Disease). United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). and Mexico.Martínez-Ibarra, J. A., et al. (2012)
The biology of three Mexican-American species of Triatominae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae): ''Triatoma recurva'', ''Triatoma protracta'' and ''Triatoma rubida''.
''Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz'', 107(5), 659-663. This species and other "kissing bugs" are vectors of ''

Trypanosoma cruzi ''Trypanosoma cruzi'' is a species of parasitic euglenoids. Among the protozoa, the trypanosomes characteristically bore tissue in another organism and feed on blood (primarily) and also lymph. This behaviour causes disease or the likelihood ...

'', the protozoan that causes

Chagas disease Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a tropical parasitic disease caused by ''Trypanosoma cruzi''. It is spread mostly by insects in the subfamily Triatominae, known as "kissing bugs". The symptoms change throughout the ...

.Hwang, W. S., Zhang, G., Maslov, D., & Weirauch, C. (2010)
Infection rates of ''Triatoma protracta'' (Uhler) with ''Trypanosoma cruzi'' in Southern California and molecular identification of trypanosomes.
''The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene'', 83(5), 1020-1022. This species is between 0.5 and 0.75 inches long. It is dark brown to black in color with a lighter margin along the abdomen. The wings lie flat across the back. The "beak" has three segments and curls beneath the head. The

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

is similar in appearance but it is smaller and lacks wings. This insect and others of its genus live in the nests of animals such as

pack rat A pack rat or packrat, also called a woodrat or trade rat, are any species in the North and Central American rodent genus ''Neotoma''. Pack rats have a rat-like appearance, with long tails, large ears, and large, black eyes. Pack rats are notice ...

s (genus ''Neotoma''). They become pests when they invade houses. They bite humans, producing irritation to the skin and sometimes severe allergic reactions. The insects are also known to have three subspecies including: * ''T. protracta woodi'' * ''T. protracta protracta'' * ''T. protracta navajoensis''

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Further reading