Fleas parasitizing domestic dogs in Georgia, USA: species composition and seasonal abundance

Abstract

Monthly flea collections were made from domestic dogs in Bulloch County, Georgia, USA from September 1996 to August 2004. A total of 2518 fleas belonging to 8 species were collected. The most common flea was the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (389 males and 1148 females), followed by the dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis (250 males and 285 females), a generalist/carnivore flea, Pulex simulans (106 males and 213 females), and a sticktight flea, Echidnophaga gallinacea (3 males and 89 females). Small numbers of rabbit-associated fleas (25 Cediopsylla simplex and 6 Odontopsyllus multispinosus) and rodent-associated fleas (3 Orchopeas howardi and 1 Polygenis gwyni), suggested that certain dogs had acquired these particular ectoparasites through hunting activities. Sex ratios of each of the five most frequently collected flea species were female-biased. Seasonally, C. felis, C. canis, and P. simulans, all showed distinct abundance peaks in late summer or autumn.