Mouse Flea vs Oriental Rat Flea

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Mouse Flea Oriental Rat Flea
Scientific Name Leptopsylla segnis Xenopsylla cheopis
Order Siphonaptera Siphonaptera
Family Leptopsyllidae Pulicidae
Size 1.5-2 mm 1.5-2.5 mm
Habitat Indoors Underground
Diet Blood Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions Worldwide Tropical and subtropical regions worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Mouse Flea

A small flea that parasitizes house mice and other small rodents worldwide. It is commonly found in rodent nests in and around human dwellings.

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Did You Know?

It can transmit murine typhus from rats to humans in domestic settings.

Oriental Rat Flea

The primary vector of bubonic plague, responsible for transmitting the bacterium Yersinia pestis between rats and humans. It is a small, dark brown flea found on rodents.

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Did You Know?

This flea species was responsible for transmitting the Black Death, which killed an estimated one-third of Europe's population.