| Human flea | |
|---|---|
| |
| female (left), male (right) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Siphonaptera |
| Family: | Pulicidae |
| Genus: | Pulex |
| Species: | P. irritans
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pulex irritans | |
The human flea (Pulex irritans) – once also called the house flea[1] – 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.[2] The species is thought to have originated in South America, where its original host may have been the guinea pig or peccary.[3]
- ^ "The Promiscuous Human Flea". Contagions. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ Michael F. Whiting; Alison S. Whiting; Michael W. Hastriter; Katharina Dittmar (2008). "A molecular phylogeny of fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera): origins and host associations" (PDF). Cladistics. 24 (5): 1–31. doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2008.00211.x. S2CID 33808144. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-08-06. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ Paul C. Buckland; Jon P. Sadler (1989). "A biogeography of the human flea, Pulex irritans L. (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)". Journal of Biogeography. 16 (2): 115–120. doi:10.2307/2845085. JSTOR 2845085.