Sweat Bee Stylops vs Oriental Rat Flea

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sweat Bee Stylops Oriental Rat Flea
Scientific Name Stylops nevinsoni Xenopsylla cheopis
Order Strepsiptera Siphonaptera
Family Stylopidae Pulicidae
Size 2.0-3.0 mm (males) 1.5-2.5 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Parasites Blood Feeders
Regions Europe Tropical and subtropical regions worldwide
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Sweat Bee Stylops

A strepsipteran endoparasite of Andrena bees in the British Isles. Parasitized bees emerge earlier than unparasitized individuals.

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Did You Know?

Infected bees emerge from hibernation earlier in spring, which helps the strepsipteran synchronize its mating season.

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.