Human flea: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Human flea lives – recorded in 4 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Pulex irritans
Group	Grasshoppers, bugs & other insects
Found in	4 countries
Continents	Europe
Class	Insect
Order	Siphonaptera
Family	Pulicidae

Where does the Human flea live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Human flea in 4 countries and territories across Europe. In France it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the Human flea?

The Human flea (Pulex irritans) is an insect in the order Siphonaptera and the family Pulicidae, genus Pulex. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Human flea

The human flea (Pulex irritans) – once also called the house flea – is a cosmopolitan flea species that has, in spite of the common name, a wide host spectrum. It is one of six species in the genus Pulex; the other five are all confined to the Nearctic and Neotropical realms. The species is thought to have originated in South America, where its original host may have been the guinea pig or peccary.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Human flea (revision 1378611764), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q989263 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).