"Siphonaptera" redirects here. For the poem, see Siphonaptera (poem).
Fleas
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic – Recent
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Scanning electron micrograph
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Clade:
Aparaglossata
Superorder:
Panorpida
(unranked):
Antliophora
Order:
Siphonaptera Latreille, 1825
Suborders
†Pseudopulicidae
†Saurophthiridae
†Tarwiniidae
Ceratophyllomorpha
Hystrichopsyllomorpha
Pulicomorpha
Pygiopsyllomorpha
Synonyms
Aphaniptera
Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about 3 millimetres (1⁄8 inch) long, are usually brown, and have bodies that are "flattened" sideways or narrow, enabling them to move through their hosts' fur or feathers. They lack wings; their hind legs are extremely well adapted for jumping. Their claws keep them from being dislodged, and their mouthparts are adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. They can leap 50 times their body length, a feat second only to jumps made by another group of insects, the superfamily of froghoppers. Flea larvae are worm-like, with no limbs; they have chewing mouthparts and feed on organic debris left on their hosts' skin.
Genetic evidence indicates that fleas are a specialised lineage of parasitic scorpionflies (Mecoptera) sensu lato, most closely related to the family Nannochoristidae. The earliest known fleas lived in the Middle Jurassic; modern-looking forms appeared in the Cenozoic. Fleas probably originated on mammals first and expanded their reach to birds. Each species of flea specializes, more or less, on one species of host: many species of flea never breed on any other host; some are less selective. Some families of fleas are exclusive to a single host group; for example, the Malacopsyllidae are found only on armadillos, the Ischnopsyllidae only on bats, and the Chimaeropsyllidae only on elephant shrews.
The oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, is a vector of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes bubonic plague. The disease was spread to humans by rodents, such as the black rat, which were bitten by infected fleas. Major outbreaks included the Plague of Justinian, about 540, and the Black Death, about 1350, each of which killed a sizeable fraction of the world's people.
Fleas appear in human culture in such diverse forms as flea circuses; poems, such as John Donne's erotic "The Flea"; works of music, such as those by Modest Mussorgsky; and a film by Charlie Chaplin.
Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds...
A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market...
The cat flea (scientific name Ctenocephalides felis) is an extremely common parasitic insect whose principal host is the domestic cat, although a high...
A flea circus is a circus sideshow attraction in which fleas are attached (or appear to be attached) to miniature carts and other items, and encouraged...
A rat flea is a parasite of rats. There are at least four species: Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis), also known as the tropical rat flea, the primary...
species of flea also known as the jigger, jigger flea, chigoe, chigo, chigoe flea, chigo flea, nigua, niknik, sand flea, or burrowing flea. It is a parasitic...
Sand flea may refer to: Arthropoda of the class Insecta: Sandfly Chigoe flea Tunga penetrans Crustacea of the class Malacostraca: Talitridae Emerita (crustacean)...
The Flea may refer to: The Flea (play), a 2023 play by James Fritz The Flea (poem) by the metaphysical poet John Donne The Flea (online poetry journal)...
contributions from several artists. It was preceded by the singles: "Broken Man", "Flea" and "Big Time Nothing". On February 16, 2024, the musician first spoke about...
The flea beetle is a small, jumping beetle of the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae), that makes up the tribe Alticini which is part of the subfamily Galerucinae...
The Autobiography of a Flea is an anonymous erotic novel first published in 1887 in London by Edward Avery. Later research has revealed that the author...
Flea treatments are procedures used to treat flea infestations in human or animal populations. They may treat both the itching caused by bites and may...
The "Song of the Flea" (Russian: Песня о блохе) is a song with piano accompaniment, composed by Modest Mussorgsky in 1879. The lyrics are from the Russian...
The human flea (Pulex irritans) – once also called the house flea – is a cosmopolitan flea species that has, in spite of the common name, a wide host spectrum...
The Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis), also known as the tropical rat flea or the rat flea, is a parasite of rodents, primarily of the genus Rattus...
The dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis) is a species of flea that lives as an ectoparasite on a wide variety of mammals, particularly the domestic dog and...
In the Hawaiian language the word ukulele roughly translates as "jumping flea", perhaps because of the movement of the player's fingers. Legend attributes...
"Spanish Flea" is a popular song written by Julius Wechter in the 1960s with lyrics by his wife Cissy Wechter. The original version was recorded by Herb...
Flea Market Flip is reality television series that aired on HGTV and Great American Country. It premiered on September 28, 2012, and is hosted by Lara...
Fleabane is a common name for some flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Most are in the subfamily Asteroideae: Conyza (butterweeds or horseweeds:...
Snow flea is a common name for several arthropods, not including true fleas: Boreidae, a family of scorpionflies known as snow fleas in the British Isles...
formed in Los Angeles in 1982, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates...
skin condition caused by several species of fleas, including the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) and dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis). This condition can...
ectoparasitic Tunga penetrans, a flea also known as the chigoe, chigo, chigoe flea, chigo flea, jigger, nigua, sand flea, or burrowing flea (and not to be confused...
The Flea Theater is a theater in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It presents primarily experimental theatre by Black, brown, and...
gallinae, known as the hen flea in Europe or the European chicken flea elsewhere, is an ectoparasite of birds. This flea was first described by the German...
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