Siphonaptera
Guides
Cediopsylla simplex
Cediopsylla simplex is a flea species in the family Pulicidae. Its reproductive biology is tightly coupled to host hormonal cycles, with female maturation occurring specifically on pregnant rabbits and nestlings rather than on estrous does. The species has been described as "hormone bound," indicating that its breeding cycle is controlled by and synchronized with the breeding cycle of its host. This physiological dependency represents a specialized adaptation among fleas.
Chrysops cincticornis
Ring-clawed Deer Fly
Chrysops cincticornis is a deer fly in the family Tabanidae, first described by Walker in 1848. It is commonly known as the Ring-clawed Deer Fly. The species has been documented in Vermont and other parts of the United States, with 291 observations recorded on iNaturalist. Research on this species has focused on its oviposition behavior and fecundity, with laboratory studies showing females deposit eggs in gelatinous masses on mud substrates near water, averaging 156 eggs per female.
deer-flyTabanidaeDipteramedical-entomologyovipositionfecundityring-clawed-deer-flyVermontUnited-Statesmud-substrategelatinous-egg-massChrysopsinaeChrysopsiniWalker-1848iNaturalistlaboratory-rearingegg-mass156-eggsrange-42-312near-watermud-like-substrateegg-depositionreproductionbehavioral-studymedical-entomology-researchinsect-vectorsbiting-fliestabanid-flieshorse-fliesdeer-fliesChrysopsNorth-AmericaNew-Englandobservation-recordssynonym-status-in-Catalogue-of-Lifeaccepted-status-in-GBIFarthropodinsectflyBrachyceraTabanomorphaHexapodaPterygotaAnimaliaArthropodaInsectacincticornisChrysops-cincticornis-Walker-1848Chrysops-(Chrysops)-cincticornisdeerflyhorseflytabanidbiting-flyvectoroviposition-behaviorfecundity-studyJournal-of-Medical-Entomology198210.1093/jmedent/19.5.597gelatinous-secretionmudwaterlaboratory-conditionsmean-fecundityegg-productionreproductive-biologyentomologyinsect-behaviorinsect-reproductiondipterantrue-flytwo-winged-flynematoceranCyclorrhaphaAschizaSchizophoraAcalyptrataeCalyptrataeOestroideaMuscoideaHippoboscoideaGlossinidaeCalliphoridaeSarcophagidaeMuscidaeFanniidaeAnthomyiidaeScathophagidaeOestridaeTachinidaeSiphonapteraPhthirapteraHemipteraColeopteraLepidopteraHymenopteraNeuropteraMegalopteraRaphidiopteraTrichopteraStrepsipteraMecopteraDipluraProturaCollembolaZygentomaArchaeognathaEphemeropteraOdonataPlecopteraGrylloblattodeaMantophasmatodeaPhasmatodeaOrthopteraDermapteraEmbiopteraZorapteraIsopteraBlattodeaMantodeaPhyllodocidaNotopteraWalker1848speciestaxongelatinoushabitatdistributionGBIFCatalogue-of-LifeNCBIlaboratory-studybehaviorlife-cyclesubstratemud-likemeanrange42-312femaleobservationrecordspecimencollectionmuseumresearchstudyarticleabstractDOIbiologyecologyhorse-flyacceptedsynonymtaxonomyclassificationUS291-observationslaboratory291-iNaturalist-observationsGBIF-distribution-recordsaccepted-species-statussynonym-in-Catalogue-of-Life156-eggs-mean-fecundityrange-42-312-eggs1982-Journal-of-Medical-Entomology-publicationDOI-10.1093/jmedent/19.5.597entomology-researchdipteran-biologyCtenocephalides
cat fleas, dog fleas
Ctenocephalides is a genus of fleas in the family Pulicidae, tribe Archaeopsyllini, containing approximately 13 species and subspecies worldwide. The genus includes two cosmopolitan species of major veterinary and medical importance: C. felis (cat flea) and C. canis (dog flea). These fleas are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites infesting domestic dogs and cats, with C. felis recognized as the most prevalent and economically significant external parasite of companion animals globally. Members of this genus also parasitize diverse wild hosts including foxes, civets, jackals, hares, hyraxes, ground squirrels, and hedgehogs.
Ctenocephalides canis
dog flea
Ctenocephalides canis is a cosmopolitan flea species in the family Pulicidae that primarily infests domestic dogs and cats as an obligate blood-feeding ectoparasite. It is less adaptable and less widely distributed than the closely related cat flea (C. felis), infesting fewer host species and achieving lower prevalence in most regions. The species has been documented across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Central Asia, with notable populations in Ireland, Austria, Greece, Poland, New Zealand, Brazil, and Uzbekistan. It serves as a vector for parasitic worms and can cause allergic dermatitis in pets.
Ctenocephalides felis
cat flea
The cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is a cosmopolitan ectoparasite primarily associated with domestic cats but also commonly infests dogs and numerous other mammals. It is the most prevalent flea species on companion animals worldwide, surpassing the dog flea (C. canis) in distribution and host range. Adults are obligate blood-feeders that require fresh blood meals for reproduction. The species serves as a vector for multiple pathogens including Rickettsia felis, and acts as an intermediate host for cestodes such as Dipylidium caninum. Despite decades of intensive insecticide use, a 17-year international study found no evidence of resistance to imidacloprid among cat flea populations.
Hectopsylla
A genus of stick-tight fleas in the family Tungidae, comprising thirteen species that parasitize non-volant mammals, birds, and bats. The genus was established by Von Frauenfeld in 1860, with H. psittaci as the type species. Several species were described by Karl Jordan between 1906 and 1942. The genus exhibits specialized host attachment behaviors, with females of some species becoming permanently embedded in host skin.
Hectopsylla pulex
chigger flea, stick-tight flea
Hectopsylla pulex is a stick-tight flea and the only member of its genus known to parasitize bats. Females attach permanently to the head region of bats, particularly the ears and tragus, where they feed to repletion, become gravid, and die in situ. This species exhibits a unique reproductive strategy involving autosevering of legs upon host attachment and abdominal expansion through mechanical design rather than true neosomy. Males have never been found attached to hosts and are collected exclusively from bat guano, suggesting pre-host copulation occurs. The species is widely distributed across the Neotropics with records from Brazil, Panama, Colombia, Texas, and Arizona.
Hectopsyllidae
Hectopsyllidae is a small family of fleas containing two genera: Tunga and Hectopsylla. These fleas are obligate ectoparasites of terrestrial mammals, with some species also parasitizing birds and bats. A distinctive feature of the family is neosomy in females, where they undergo extreme swelling and produce new cuticle while remaining permanently attached to the host. The family was formerly known as Tungidae and is closely related to the common fleas (Pulicidae).
Leptopsyllidae
Leptopsyllidae is a family of fleas in the order Siphonaptera, containing at least 30 genera and 250 described species. The family includes ectoparasitic species associated with various mammalian hosts, with some genera showing strong host preferences. Members of this family are distributed across multiple geographic regions, with specific species documented from North America, Europe, and Asia.
Orchopeas howardi
Grey Squirrel Flea, squirrel flea
Orchopeas howardi is a flea species in the family Ceratophyllidae, commonly known as the grey squirrel flea. It is primarily associated with squirrels (family Sciuridae) as its typical hosts. The species has been documented in North America and Europe, with records from Great Britain, Ireland, France, and Belgium. A documented case from Illinois, USA, recorded this flea on wood ducklings (Aix sponsa), representing an accidental host association rather than typical host use.
Oropsylla hirsuta
prairie dog flea
Oropsylla hirsuta is a flea species and the primary ectoparasite of the black-tailed prairie dog. It serves as a vector of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium causing bubonic plague. Population genetic studies indicate significant structure among prairie dog colonies but no isolation by distance, suggesting fleas disperse independently of host movement. Plague-induced die-offs trigger rapid population expansion from refugia.
Pulex
human flea (for P. irritans)
Pulex is a genus of fleas in the family Pulicidae, established by Linnaeus in 1758. The genus comprises six to seven recognized species, with Pulex irritans (the human flea) being the most notable and widespread. The remaining species are restricted to the Nearctic and Neotropical realms. Members of this genus are laterally compressed, wingless ectoparasites adapted for blood-feeding on mammals.