The fleas (Siphonaptera) of Tennessee.
Thirty-three species of fleas are recorded from the state of Tennessee. New state records are reported for two species, the pulicid fleas Euhoplopsyllus glacialis affinis and Pulex simulans. Two species of fleas with catholic feeding habits appear to be especially widespread and abundant in Tennessee. These are the pulicid Ctenocephalides felis which parasitizes cats, dogs, humans, opossums, and other medium to large sized mammals, and the hystrichopsyllid Ctenophthalmus pseudagyrtes which is associated with several species of small mammals, particularly shrews, moles, voles, and native mice. For a southeastern state, Tennessee has a relatively rich flea fauna. The figure of 33 flea species recorded here for Tennessee is higher than documented figures for other southeastern states (17 species for Alabama, 19 for Florida, 20 for Georgia, 12 for Mississippi, 18 for North Carolina, 19 for South Carolina). This is largely because several species with boreal origins inhabit the higher elevations characteristic of the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern part of the state. Although plague is not enzootic as far east as Tennessee, and murine typhus is rare of absent, suitable flea vectors inhabit the state and one abundant flea species, C. felis, is a pest because it feeds on companion animals and humans.
Durden
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Institute of Arthropadology and Parasitology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro 30460, USA.
Kollars
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D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000145:classification; D013714:Tennessee