Fleas: Siphonaptera - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Fleas And People, Chigoe (tunga Penetrans): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, CONSERVATION STATUS
Fleas are found on all continents, including Antarctica. There are 2,575 species of fleas worldwide, 258 of which occur in North America.
There are no fleas that are considered endangered or threatened. However, flea species that feed only on one host species are vulnerable to extinction if their hosts were to become threatened by extinction. In these cases the fleas would share the fate of their hosts. No one has yet attempted to identify or list fleas that feed only on species listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
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Adult fleas are small insects usually measuring 0.04 to 0.3 inches (1.0 to 8 millimeters). The females have shorter antennae (an-TEH-nee) or sense organs and are usually larger than the males. The bodies of fleas are flat from side to side, allowing them to move easily between the fur and feathers of their mammal or bird hosts. Their tubelike mouthparts are used to pierce skin and suck blood. The …
About 5 percent of all flea species occur on birds, while the remaining 95 percent parasitize, or live off of, mammals. They usually do not parasitize amphibians and reptiles. Fleas parasitize hosts in nearly all habitats where their hosts live and are found not only on their bodies but also in their burrows and nests. Bird fleas only parasitize species that reuse their nests year after year, incl…
Free-living larvae scavenge scabs, flakes of skin, dried blood produced as waste by adult fleas, and other bits of tissue found in the host's nest. Some larvae live on the body of an animal, where they eat bits of skin and other tissues and fluids. Uropsylla tasmanica is the only larva known to burrow into the skin of its host, the Tasmanian devil. A few species prey on other insects that l…
The survival of every flea species depends on its ability to find a suitable host. Some species remain in the pupal stage for long periods of time to survive cold weather or to wait until a host comes by. The vibrations of an approaching host often trigger adults to emerge from their pupae (PYU-pee). Although fleas cannot see very well, they do respond to moving shadows by jumping. They are also a…
The bites of the dog, cat, and human fleas are very annoying and may cause itching and allergic reactions in sensitive people. Scratching flea bites often causes further discomfort and leads to infections. Some fleas carry diseases that infect both humans and pets. Plague and other diseases are spread either through the bites of infected fleas or by rubbing the waste of infected fleas into the bit…
Physical characteristics: The chigoe's body is straw-colored or yellowish. Adults measure up to 0.04 inches (1.0 millimeters) long, but females filled with eggs may reach 0.16 inches (4.0 millimeters). The front of the head is sharply pointed. They lack comblike structures or spines on their legs. The top of each abdominal segment has a single row of hairlike structures. The last four pairs…
Physical characteristics: The body of a sheep and goat flea has light and dark brown markings. Adult males grow to 0.13 inches (3.3 millimeters) in length, while females are 0.18 inches (4.5 millimeters). Females swollen with eggs may reach 0.6 inches (16 millimeters). The head and thorax lack combs. The mouthparts are very long. Geographic range: They are found in parts of China, Mongolia, and Ru…
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