Hystrichopsylla

Taschenberg, 1880

Species Guides

2

Hystrichopsylla is a of fleas (Siphonaptera: Hystrichopsyllidae) with a Holarctic distribution. of this genus include some of the largest known fleas. The genus contains at least three recognized species in the New World: H. cryptotis, H. dippiei, and H. schefferi. associations include and small rodents, with some species showing marked host preferences.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Hystrichopsylla: //hɪˈstrɪkoʊˌsɪlə//

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Identification

Members of Hystrichopsylla are distinguished by their large size relative to other fleas. H. talpae, the type , has true combs of long, pigmented spines on abdominal II to IV; other species in the subgenus Hystroceras (including all Nearctic species) have these abdominal combs reduced to series of spinelets. H. cryptotis is recognized by seven genal combs and a slender sternum IX bearing 13 pairs of thick spiniform setae of different sizes.

Habitat

Montane regions of the Mexican transition zone, including the Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre del Sur. European occur in Lithuania and other regions.

Distribution

Holarctic. Europe (including Lithuania, Denmark, Norway, Sweden), Asia, and North America (Mexico: Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre del Sur; United States).

Host Associations

  • Cryptotis mexicana - shrew for H. cryptotis in Mexico
  • Apodemus flavicollis - for H. orientalis in Lithuania
  • Apodemus agrarius - for H. orientalis in Lithuania
  • Micromys minutus - for H. orientalis in Lithuania
  • Myodes glareolus - for H. orientalis in Lithuania
  • Microtus oeconomus - for H. orientalis in Lithuania
  • Microtus arvalis - for H. orientalis in Lithuania
  • Sorex araneus - for H. orientalis in Lithuania
  • Neomys fodiens - for H. orientalis in Lithuania
  • Glis glis - for H. orientalis in Lithuania
  • Insectivora - favoured for H. talpae in Europe and Asia
  • small rodents - favoured for H. talpae in Europe and Asia

Behavior

Only a few exhibit marked preferences; most appear to be relatively in host use.

Similar Taxa

  • TyphlocerasTyphloceras was considered a third subgenus of Hystrichopsylla by Ioff and Scalon (1950), but this interpretation has not been generally followed. Typhloceras is known only from the Palaearctic region.

More Details

Species groups

Mexican of Hystrichopsylla form two distinct species groups based on cladistic analysis: the H. orophila group (H. orophila, H. cryptotis) and the H. dippiei group (H. dippiei, H. llorentei, H. kris). The resolved area indicates phylogenetic relationships: (Sierra Madre Oriental, (Sierra Madre del Sur, Transmexican Volcanic Belt)).

Subgeneric classification

The subgenus Hystroceras (type: H. satunini) was proposed by Ioff and Scalon (1950) to contain Palaearctic with reduced abdominal combs; this subgenus would include all known Nearctic species of Hystrichopsylla.

Sources and further reading