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

Reduviidae The Reduviidae are a large cosmopolitan family of the order Hemiptera (true bugs). Among the Hemiptera and together with the Nabidae almost all species are terrestrial ambush predators: most other predatory Hemiptera are aquatic. The main exa ...

. 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'', the protozoan that causes Chagas disease.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 ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

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