''Ctenocephalides'' is a

flea Flea, the common name for the order (biology), order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by hematophagy, ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult f ...

genus in the tribe Archaeopsyllini which includes the

cat flea The cat flea (scientific name ''Ctenocephalides felis'') is an extremely common parasitic insect whose principal host is the cat, domestic cat, although a high proportion of the fleas found on dogs also belong to this species. This is despite the ...

, ''Ctenocephalides felis'' and the dog flea, ''C canis''.

Species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

and

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

in the genus infest a wide variety of hosts, including sheep and goats, wild carnivores (such as foxes,

civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term ''civet'' applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species's div ...

s and

jackal Jackals are Canidae, canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe Canina (subtribe), canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-b ...

s),

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

s, hyraxes, ground squirrels and

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...

s.''International Journal for Parasitology'': Volume 49, Issue 5, April 2019, Pages 321-336: Out-of-Africa, human-mediated dispersal of the common cat flea, ''Ctenocephalides felis'': The hitchhiker’s guide to world dominatio

/ref>

References

* * Siphonaptera genera Pulicidae Taxa named by Charles Wardell Stiles {{flea-stub