Invertebrate Zoology: A Tutorial - T. A. Dauda 2014

Metazoa
Arthropods
Subphylum Tracheata - Class Insecta - Orders with Complete Metamorphosis - Order Siphonaptera

There are over 1,000 known species of fleas. They are wingless, with laterally compressed bodies covered in a thick layer of Chitin. Their mouthparts are piercing-sucking and shaped like a tiny tube. Their limbs are well-developed, with the hind legs significantly longer than the others, adapted for jumping (Fig. 77). Fleas parasitize various animals, such as cats, dogs, and horses, and easily transfer from one host to another. They can also attack humans; common Examples include the human flea and the dog flea.

A flea can consume a very large amount of Blood. Much of this blood passes rapidly through the digestive tract before being fully digested and is excreted in the feces. Many flea species are capable of fasting for several months, which allows them to successfully overwinter in rodent nests after their hosts die.

The human flea deposits its eggs in floor and wall crevices, as well as in debris. The larvae are legless, worm-like, and covered in setae, feeding on decomposing organic matter. Before pupating, a larva spins a silky cocoon. Fleas are persistent parasites; their bites cause Skin irritation and disrupt normal rest. However, of far greater significance is their role as vectors of the pathogens responsible for plague, murine typhus, and other infectious diseases.

In the past, human plague cases were recorded in certain regions across the southern and southeastern parts of our country. Systematic eradication campaigns targeting rodents (the plague reservoirs) and fleas (the disease vectors) were conducted in these areas, and human plague cases have now been completely eradicated.

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Fig. 77 Dog flea:

1 — larva; 2 — pupa; 3 — adult.