Fleas are laterally compressed, wingless ectoparasites that feed on the blood of mammals and birds. They have specialized mouthparts for piercing skin and sucking blood. Fleas have medical importance as vectors of plague and other diseases. There are over 2,500 described flea species in 15 families found worldwide that parasitize a variety of hosts like rodents, bats, carnivores, birds, and occasionally humans. Fleas have complex life cycles involving egg, larval, and pupal stages.
Fleas are laterally compressed, wingless ectoparasites that feed on the blood of mammals and birds. They have specialized mouthparts for piercing skin and sucking blood. Fleas have medical importance as vectors of plague and other diseases. There are over 2,500 described flea species in 15 families found worldwide that parasitize a variety of hosts like rodents, bats, carnivores, birds, and occasionally humans. Fleas have complex life cycles involving egg, larval, and pupal stages.
Fleas are laterally compressed, wingless ectoparasites that feed on the blood of mammals and birds. They have specialized mouthparts for piercing skin and sucking blood. Fleas have medical importance as vectors of plague and other diseases. There are over 2,500 described flea species in 15 families found worldwide that parasitize a variety of hosts like rodents, bats, carnivores, birds, and occasionally humans. Fleas have complex life cycles involving egg, larval, and pupal stages.
• Adult apterous, bilaterally compressed, ectoparasites on
mammals and birds • Compound eyes small or absent; ocelli absent • Antennae short, in cranial grooves (Male antennae serve as accessory clasping organs) • Sucking mouthparts with labral (“epipharynx”) and lacinial stylets; mandibles absent • Thorax greatly specialized (abdominal terga overlap the sclerotized sterna; metepimeron enlarged accommodating leaping muscles) • Larvae legless • (Long labial palps [up to five segments in some species]) SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Diagnostic characteristics • Heavily sclerotized • Laterally compressed (only laterally compressed ectoparasitic insects) • Eyes absent or nearly so; ocelli absent • Antennae short, 9 flat flagellomeres, lie in grooves - scrobes • Wing absent and thorax reduced • Ctenidia - well developed stiff setae on body that point backwards • Sensilium (pygidium) of tergite IX (detects air movement, vibrations, temp gradients) • Large tarsal claws • Large hind coxae (with pads of resilin at base) SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Mouthparts & Feeding • Mandibles absent • Labrum (“epipharynx”) and paired, serrated maxillary laciniae pierce skin and suck blood • Food channel formed by epipharynx, salivary channel by laciniae • Palps long and prominent • Both sexes feed; water absorbed in rectum • Proventricular acanthae prevent backflow of blood (also clog bacteria) • Feces and undigested blood released as black drops that dry SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Habitat & Habits • Adults feed on blood of host, primarily the Rodentia • Only 6% of species on birds, 75% on rodents; none on humans as primary host, none on marine mammals • Exhibit wide range of host specificity - highly host specific, habitat specific, or broadly host specific; cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, occurs on 8 orders of mammals and lizards; bird flea, Ceratophyllis gallinae, on over 100 species • Co-speciation not as prevalent as is Phthiraptera • Habitat requirements of larvae probably most important in determining host and geographic distributions SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Habitat & Habits • Female lays eggs in den or nest of host or on host while in nest; eggs sticky • Larvae are free-living in nest or den of host; feed on debris, feces of host, dried secretions, and dried, bloody feces of adults • Larvae legless, eyeless, with long, stiff setae; well developed mouthparts; 3 larval instars; final one spins a silken pupal cocoon • Adult emerges in cocoon and may stay inside for long period waiting for host to return (stimulated by CO2 of host) SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Medical Importance • Three species in the flea genus Xenopsylla (Pulicidae) transmit plague, but especially X. cheopis • Causative agent is a bacterium, Yersinia pestis, a disease of flea, harbored in rodents, principally the brown rat, Rattus rattus • “Black Death” - Originated in China and followed Silk Road to Europe • Rural famine, resulted in over crowding in cities in Europe in the mid-1300s with resultant unsanitary conditions and explosion of rat populations • As rats became infected and died, fleas sought out other hosts - humans • Millions of people died (est. 30-60% of population!); took 200 years for populations to recover; other important outbreaks over the centuries. China lost half its population! • Only in 1914 was causative agent discovered by British-Indian Plague Commission and independently by a Japanese researcher SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Medical Importance • As flea feeds on infected host, the bacteria multiply in midgut, causing partial or complete blockage of proventriculus • Fleas with blocked proventriculi feel starved, so they feed even more frequently, and more indiscriminately • The blocking causes fleas to regurgitate blood, causing even more infection. Fleas eventually dies from starvation. • Even fleas without blocked guts can spread plague via their mouthparts • Scratching feces or ingesting flea will also spread disease; sneezing, coughing, contact • Infection causes blackish swellings at bites, called “buboes,” hence “bubonic plague” SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Additional Medical (and Veterinary) Importance • Virus: myxomatosis of rabbits
• Cestoda (as intermediate hosts): several dog, cat, rodent,
and human tapeworms SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Diversity and Distribution 2,500 species in 15 families Taxonomy well known due to the medical importance of fleas, the major transmitters of plague Major series of works by Hopkins & Rothschild (1953-1971) of the British Museum Dame Miriam Rothschild, world’s foremost authority (1904-2005) SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Diversity and Distribution Stephanocircidae - helmet fleas, head very reduced, dominated by genal combs; southern South America (rodents, some marsupials and insectivores) and Australia (marsupials) Pulicidae, Tunginae - Tunga penetrans, chigger,chigoe flea, bicho do pé, SE Asia, Africa, American tropics; females burrows in skin under toenail, between toes; only anus and gonopore exposed, feeds and expands to 1000X her original size; releases 1000 of eggs; site becomes infected and very painful; common around pigs SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Diversity and Distribution Ceratophyllidae - largest family, several subfamilies; some show high host specificity; on ground squirrels, pocket gophers, etc. Ischnopsyllidae - exclusively on bats Leptopsyllidae - small rodents, house mouse, mountain beaver Ctenophthalmidae - small rodents, flying squirrels, chipmunks, woodrats, deermice, etc, and shrews, moles; also on the mountain beaver Hystrichopsyllidae - small rodents, insectivores Rhopalopsyllidae - armadillos, possums, small rodents SIPHONAPTERA - Fleas Diversity and Distribution Pulicidae - includes the cat flea (Ctenosephalides felis) and dog flea (C. canis), both not native to North America. Cat fleas very common and with wide host range; dog flea intermediate host of dog tapeworm. Includes “sticktight” flea of domestic poultry and Pulex irritans L., on a broad range of mammal hosts and sometimes associated with human habitations; other pulicids of birds, rabbits, and the infamous Xenopsylla cheopis, associated with plague.
• Collect from host animal and from their nests, dens, bedding, etc. • Collect nest themselves and bring into lab. Observe in white pan over several days-weeks and pick off fleas with small, wet brush • In areas of high numbers of adults, walk around with white clothing and collect fleas as they jump on you! • Preserve in formalin free alcohol and later clear and mount on microscope slides • Record identity of host! • Chaetotaxy important in taxonomy