Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) of Peru: A Review of Their Diversity and the Host Specificity in the Country
2024
David Minaya | Carolina Flores-Bancayan | Juan J. Pellón | José Iannacone | Marcela Lareschi
In the Neotropical biogeographic region, there are about 290 known species and subspecies of fleas, which have as their main hosts to the rodent subfamily Sigmodontinae. In Peru, more than 22 years have passed since the last list of known flea species was published. This study presents a review and update of the fleas recorded in Peru from 1908 to 2024. This list contains information on the flea species, including their known hosts, the localities in Peru where they were reported, the main references and some comments. In addition, the specificity of flea–host interactions was assessed using an interaction network approach. In the literature review, 86 flea species were found distributed among 9 families, 34 genera and 19 subspecies. These fleas were recorded parasitizing at least71 species of mammals and birds (14 orders, 28 families, 54 genera), 15 reported only at the genera level and seven undetermined ones. The flea–host interaction network exhibited a modular structure, indicating that these interactions tend to be specialized. A sigmodontine rodent (<i>Akodon mollis</i>) and a Rhopalopsyllidae flea (<i>Polygenis litargus</i>) were highly connected across modules and the overall network, and thus were important to maintain the structure. This review contributes to the knowledge of fleas in Peru, synthesizing the scattered information and providing information on the interaction they have with their hosts.
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