Fleas

Order Siphonaptera

The Fleas (Order Siphonaptera) includes 33 species across 5 families and 11 genera in our directory.

About Fleas

Siphonaptera (fleas) includes ~2,500 described species. Fleas can jump up to 150 times their own body length - equivalent to a human jumping over a 75-story building. This makes them the best jumpers relative to body size of any animal.

Economic Impact

The U.S. pet flea treatment market is worth over $4.4 billion annually. Historically, rat fleas transmitted the bubonic plague (Black Death), which killed an estimated 75-200 million people in the 14th century - roughly 30-60% of Europe's population.

Ecological Role

Fleas have been parasitizing mammals for at least 165 million years based on fossil evidence. They can transmit diseases including plague, murine typhus, and tapeworms. A single female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day.

Families in Siphonaptera (5)

Species in Siphonaptera (33)

Cat Flea

Ctenocephalides felis

Pulicidae

Identification: Forehead low and sloping; genal comb with 7-8 sharp teeth, the first tooth about equal in length to the second. "Cat fleas are commonly found on both cats and dogs in North America, while dog fleas are found in Europe. The two species

Dog Flea

Ctenocephalides canis

Pulicidae

Identification: Comments here (and also quoted below in some other sections) from Jerrod Johnson and "Foundations of Parasitology" textbook: The adult dog flea can only be identified microscopically. The head is more rounded anteriorly than the more

Hystrichopsylla occidentalis

Hystrichopsyllidae

Identification: The only Hystrichopsylla with 8 or more spines on both sides of the genal ctenidium. The smallest member of the genus Hystrichopsylla, but still a very large flea.

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