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Human Flea (Female) - Pulex irritans
She has a tiny dark dot near her rear end, which is a spermatheca, thus distinguishing her from a male.
Human fleas have a wide arrange of hosts. They suck blood and can transmit the bacterium (Yersinia pestis) that causes plague, a disease that affects humans and other mammals.
*Whole mount microscope slide
The human flea – once also called the house flea – is a cosmopolitan flea species that has, in spite of the common name, a wide host spectrum. It is one of six species in the genus ''Pulex''; the other five are all confined to the Nearctic and Neotropical realms. The species is thought to have originated in South America, where its original host may have been the guinea pig or peccary.
Similar species: Fleas
By Christine Young
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Uploaded Apr 16, 2021. Captured in 5 East St, New Milford, CT 06776, USA.
