BioImages: The Virtual Field-Guide (UK)
SIPHONAPTERA (fleas)
| Notes (MWS) | A group of small flattened insects with considerable jumping powers. The adults are obligate parasites of warm-blooded vertebrates. Most species are restricted to one or a few related host species, or species with similar habits. But (as any cat owner knows) displaced fleas are attracted to any warm-blooded animal, so any species might occasionally be found on an unexpected host. The worm-like larvae live among detritus in nests. For this reason fleas are restricted to animals that build nests or, at least, return to the same home or burrow - Ungulates (cattle, horses, deer etc) do not have fleas. |
Subtaxa
| Rank | Taxon |  |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family | CERATOPHYLLIDAE (a family of fleas) | 3 | |||
| Subspecies | Amalaraeus penicilliger mustelae (Dale, 1878) (Vole Flea) | 2 | 13 | ||
| Species | Nosopsyllus fasciatus (Bosc, 1800) (Rat Flea) | 2 | 24 | ||
| Subspecies | Orchopeas howardi howardi (Baker, 1895) (Grey Squirrel Flea) | 2 | 16 | ||
| Family | HISTRICHOPSYLLIDAE (a family of mammal fleas) | 2 | |||
| Species | Ctenophthalmus nobilis (Rothschild, 1898) (a mammal flea) | 3 | 28 | ||
| Subspecies | Hystrichopsylla talpae talpae (Curtis, 1826) (a mole flea) | 2 | 1 | 12 | |
| Family | PULICIDAE (a family of fleas) | 1 | |||
| Subspecies | Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché, 1835) (Cat Flea) | 6 | 14 |
Suggested Literature
Identification Works
| Séguy, E., 1944 | Insectes Ectoparasites (Mallophages, Anoplures, Siphonaptères) |
| Smit, F.G.A.M., 1957 | Siphonaptera |
General Works
| Alexander, K.N.A., 2002 | The Invertebrates of Living and Decaying Timber in Britain and Ireland - a Provisional Annotated Checklist |
SIPHONAPTERA may also be covered by literature listed under:
|
BIOTA (living things) |
Eukaryota (eukaryotes) |
ANIMALIA (animals) |
ARTHROPODA (arthropods) |
HEXAPODA (hexapods) |
INSECTA (insects) |
Feeding and other inter-species relationships
Associated with SIPHONAPTERA:
Siphonaptera may be associated with taxa listed at higher taxonomic level
|
ANIMALIA (animals) |
INSECTA (insects) |
