THE LIFE HISTORY AND CONTROL OF FLEAS 



365 



silantiewi Wagiier) occurs in numbers on the "tarbagan" or groundhog 

 in jNIanchuria and was thought to be concerned in the transmission of 

 plague from that host to man in the recent Manchurian outbreak. How- 

 ever, subsquent investigations apparently failed to substantiate this 



theory. 



The field mouse flea {Ctenophfhalmus agyrtes Heller) occurs in Eng- 

 land and other parts of Europe. It is common on voles and field mice 

 and also on rats living in the open. It has no inclination to bite man. 

 This species probably plays little part in the dissemination of plague, 

 but when the disease gets among wild rodents it no doubt would aid 

 in spreading it from animal to animal. 



Pygiopsylla ahalae Rothschild has been shown capable of carrying 

 plague. It is an East Indian Island species and according to De Raadt 



Fig. 



69. — The sticktight flea, Echidnophaga gaUinacea: Adult female. Greatly en- 

 larged. (Bishopp.) From U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 248, figs. 2, 8. 



it is abundant on rats in coffee plantations in Java, but rare on rodents 

 in buildings. He avers that the species of fleas found on rats may be 

 used as an index to the source of the rat population of a given place. 



The squirrel fleas (Ceratophyllus acntus Baker and Hoplopsyllus 

 anOmalus Baker) are abundant in the western United States on ground 

 squirrels. They have been shown capable of transmitting plague, and 

 both feed readily on man and will feed on rats. 



The sticktight flea {Echidnophaga gallinaceus Westwood) (figs. 69, 

 70) is an important pest of poultry in the southern United States. This 

 species is widely distributed in the subtropical and tropical parts of the 

 world. It atttacks several wild birds in addition to domestic species and 

 has been taken on rats in numbers. It bites man with avidity. 



The chigoe or penetrating flea {Dermatophilus penetrans Linnaeus) 

 is troublesome in the West Indies, Mexico, and northern South America, 

 and has been introduced into West Africa and from there to India. 

 It burrows into the skin of the feet, especial!}' around the toenails. Many 



