Siphonaptera Flashcards
What is the life cycle of fleas?
Egg
Larva
Pupa
Adult
What are the characteristics of fleas?
Small Laterally compressed Wingless Adults are always parasitic Blood-sucking Vectors for several diseases
What is antigenic and irritating?
Flea saliva
Which life stage only makes up 10% of the flea population in the environment?
Adults
What life stage makes up 50% of the flea population in the environment?
Eggs
What life stage makes up 95% of the flea population in the environment?
Immature stages
What does IGR stand for?
Insect growth regulator
What do you tell clients that want to purchase over-the-counter flea and tick preventaive?
Over the counter products do not have an IGR, so they only kill the adult stage and nothing else
What are two parasites that fleas act as an intermediate host for?
Acanthocheilonema reconditum
Diplydium caninum
What flea feeds on both dogs and cats?
Ctenocephalides felis (Cat flea)
How do you tell male and female Ctenocephalides felis apart?
Males are smaller, have “hook” inside of abdomen that are the reproductive organs and have elongated shaped head
What flea only feeds on dogs?
Ctenocephalides canis
How do you tell C.felis apart from C. canis?
C. canis have shorter first 2 spines on the genal comb and have a shorter and rounder head
Which flea is the Stick tight flea of poultry and feeds on dogs and cats?
Echidnophaga gallinacean
What flea is known as the human flea and will feed on dogs and cats?
Pulex irritans
