An insect belonging to the genus Pulex, of the order Aphaniptera. Fleas are destitute of wings, but have the power of leaping energetically. The bite is poisonous to most persons. The human flea (Pulex irritans), abundant in Europe, is rare in America, where the dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis, formerly Pulex canis) and the smaller cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) take its place. See Aphaniptera, and Dog flea. See Illustration in Appendix.
Small, wingless, bloodsucking insects of the order Siphonaptera that have legs adapted for jumping and are parasitic on warm-blooded animals.
any wingless blood-sucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap
a blood-feeding parasite that can be transferred from host cat to another victim
a common small wingless insect
a parasite that has been hunted since the beginning of mankind
a tiny insect that is a parasite on other animals
a tiny, laterally flat and wingless insect that subsists on the blood of its host
An annoying human parasite who wants something for nothing; a $2 bettor who expects to be rewarded for his action.
A common parasite found on the skin that lives by feeding on blood, causing itching and scratching
Small jumping insect that feeds on your cats blood
A blood-sucking insect, which feeds on animals, can bite humans and is capable of jumping from 14 to 16 inches. Female fleas begin laying eggs within 48 hours of their first blood meal and can lay as many as 200 eggs in a matter of days.
Flea is the common name for any of the small wingless insects of the order Siphonaptera (some authorities use the name Aphaniptera because it is older, but names above family rank do not follow the rules of priority, so most taxonomists use the more familiar name). Fleas are external parasites, living by hematophagy off the blood of mammals and birds, and genetic and morphological evidence indicates that they are descendants of the Scorpionfly family Boreidae, which are also flightless; accordingly it is possible that they will eventually be reclassified as a suborder within the Mecoptera. In the past, however, it was most commonly supposed that fleas had evolved from the flies (Diptera), based on similarities of the larvae.