The Polyctenidae are a rarely collected family of parasitic bugs of the superfamily Cimicoidea.
These insects are not to be confused with cimicid bat bugs, which are members of the family Cimicidae.
A significant relationship appears to occur between the family groups and the species of hosts that indicates co-evolution and specialization.
[1] Polyctenidae and Cimicidae are considered to be sister taxa.
[2] There are currently 32 species of polyctenid bat bugs recognized worldwide belonging to two subfamilies and five genera.