Fleas (Siphonaptera) features identification keys to 62 species of fleas in Britain and Ireland.
This Second Edition of the Fleas (Siphonaptera) RES Handbook is a new edition of Smit’s classic guide to British fleas (1957). The author has updated the text and keys, and includes 6 new species. Also included are modern methods of collecting fleas, plus techniques of mounting and preservation. In addition this Second Edition contains full distribution information, originally separate.
Fleas are small wingless insects that survive as external parasites of birds and mammals. Hence as a group they have long been of great medical and veterinary concern. Some species are largely host-specific, while others are more generalist. Many aspects of flea morphology are closely correlated to their parasitic lifestyle. The adult flea is highly adept at jumping, facilitated by the storage of the elastic protein resilin in the pleural arch, which supplies the necessary energy.
