Moorhen flea

The moorhen flea (Dasypsyllus gallinulae)^[1] is a flea originating from South America. It is now globally widespread. It is a large flea, easily identified because the male has two heavy horn-like spines on one of the genital flaps, and the female has a deep "bite" on the seventh sternite.^[2]

Moorhen flea
Male moorhen flea
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Siphonaptera
Family:	Ceratophyllidae
Genus:	Dasypsyllus
Species:	D. gallinulae
Binomial name
Dasypsyllus gallinulae (Dale, 1878)

It is found in bird nests, and is more likely to be found on the bird's body than, say, the chicken flea, which is normally found in the nest. The moorhen flea's many hosts include the common moorhen, Eurasian woodcock, grouse, European robin, goldcrest, willow tit, Eurasian treecreeper^[2] and blackbirds. ^[3]

References

1. "Dasypsyllus gallinulae" at the Encyclopedia of Life
2. Rothschild, Miriam; Clay, Theresa (1957). Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos. A study of bird parasites. New York: Macmillan. p. 113.
3. Fowler, J. A.; Cohen, Sharon; Greenwood, M. T (1983). "Seasonal Variation In The Infestation Of Blackbirds By Fleas". Bird Study. 30 (3): 240–242. Bibcode:1983BirdS..30..240F. doi:10.1080/00063658309476804. ISSN 1944-6705. Retrieved 2021-02-21.