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Fleas
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Fleas are blood sucking insects belonging to the order Siphonaptera. Fleas are thought to be closely related to Diptera(True Flies). Although ectoparasites the wings of fleas have been lost during their evolution but it has been suggested that muscles that may have been used for flight are now used to power the well developed rear legs. The rear legs arise from the metathorax and this area is well developed as a consequence of this. In contrast to Anoplura fleas are flattened laterally allowing them to travel quickly through host hair. Morphological adaptations other than lateral flattening include recessed antennae-long antennae would only serve to obstruct a fleas passage- and backward pointing setae, these anchor the flea against surrounding hairs if attempts are made to remove them.
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Fleas are small insects (under 1/4 inch) and are dark brown in color. They lack wings and are extremely narrow side to side, which enables them to move easily through the body hairs. Their last pair of legs is modified for jumping. They have numerous spines and hairs on their body, and their mouthparts are adapted for piercing the skin and sucking blood. The whisker-like spines on and near the head are important characteristics used in the identification of fleas. Three kinds of fleas are important in Pennsylvania - the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis; the dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis; and the human flea, Pulex irritans.
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Fleas have four stages of development: egg, larval, pupal and adult. The life cycle varies depending on the flea species, temperature, humidity and the availability of food. The optimum development period from egg to adult is two to three weeks; ... when conditions do not favor rapid development the cycle may take several months.
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Fleas attack a wide variety of warm-blooded vertebrates including dogs, cats, humans, chickens, rabbits, squirrels, rats and mice. Fleas are a nuisance to their hosts, causing an itching sensation which in turn may result in the host attempting to remove the pest by biting, pecking, scratching etc the vicinity of the parasite. Fleas are not simply a source of annoyance.... Some people and animals suffer allergic reactions to flea saliva resulting in rashes. Flea bites generally result in the formation of a slightly-raised swollen itching spot with a single puncture point at the center. The bites often appear in clusters or lines, and can remain itchy and inflamed for up to several weeks afterwards.
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Fleas go through four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Warm, moist conditions (65-80oF and 70 percent relative humidity) are optimal for flea hatching and development. A female can lay up to 800 eggs in her lifetime. Eggs are laid both on and off the pet. Those laid on the pet later fall off and accumulate on the floor, in cracks, on furniture, and in dust.17
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Fleas can be diagnosed on your pet by finding the adult fleas, the flea dirt, or flea eggs on the skin. These can be seen most easily on the rump and the thinly-haired belly. Flea dirt is actually flea feces from digested blood. It looks black, but will appear red brown when smeared on a white paper. Flea eggs look like tiny, white sand grains. Adult fleas are small, brown and wingless, a little larger than the size of a pinhead.
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Fleas