Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-fwgfc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-13T20:56:57.787Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Laboratory breeding of the European rabbit flea, Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale)*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

J. A. Vaughan  and
Mary E. Coombs
J. A. Vaughan
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Pest Infestation Control Laboratory, Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey GU3 3LQ
Mary E. Coombs
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Pest Infestation Control Laboratory, Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey GU3 3LQ
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A method is described for the laboratory breeding of the rabbit flea in which the immature stages are reared at constant temperature and humidity.

Eggs are obtained by confining fleas taken from a rabbit and her nest shortly after parturition with two of her nestlings in an incubator for 24 h. The eggs are transferred to an artificial diet medium on which the immature stages are reared. On average a female flea produces 50 eggs during the first six days post-partum. At 25 °C, 95% of eggs hatched at 79% RH and 98% at 84% RH. Most eggs hatched on the third day after laying and hatching was completed by the fourth day. Significantly more fleas of both sexes were obtained when larvae were reared at 25 °C on a medium containing powdered 41B rodent diet than on one containing terrier meal. Both diets also contained yeast and dried rabbit blood. There was no significant difference between the numbers of fleas obtained at 79% RH and 84% RH. Significantly more fleas were also obtained when larvae were reared at 27 °C, 84% RH, than at 25 °C. Female fleas emerged sooner than males at both 27 °C and 25 °C. Fleas from the laboratory culture were heavier than those from wild nests. Female fleas were heavier than male fleas in both cases.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 83 , Issue 3 , December 1979 , pp. 521 - 530
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

References

Burroughs, A. L. (1953). Sylvatic plague studies. X. Survival of rodent fleas in the laboratory. Parasitology 43, 35–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edney, E. B. (1945). Laboratory studies of the bionomics of the rat fleas, Xenopsylla brasiliensis Baker and X. cheopis Roths. 1. Certain effects of light, temperature and humidity on the rate of development and on adult longevity. Bulletin of Entomological Research 35, 399–416.Google Scholar
Edney, E. B. (1947). Laboratory studies on the bionomics of the rat fleas, Xenopsylla brasiliensis Baker and X. cheopis Roths. III. Further factors affecting adult longevity. Bulletin of Entomological Research 38, 389–404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elbel, R. E. (1951). Comparative studies on the larvae of certain species of fleas (Siphonaptera). Journal of Parasitology 37, 119–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elbel, R. E. (1952). Comparative morphology of some rat flea larvae (Siphonaptera). Journal of Parasitology 38, 230–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hudson, B. W. & Prince, F. M. (1958 a). A method for large-scale rearing of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché). Bulletin of the World Health Organization 19, 1126–9.Google ScholarPubMed
Hudson, B. W. & Prince, F. M. (1958 b). Culture methods for the fleas Pulex irritans (L) and Pulex simulans Baker. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 19, 1129–33.Google ScholarPubMed
Jeffers, J. N. R. (1960). Experimental Design and Analysis in Forest Research. Stockholm: Almqvist and Wiksell.Google Scholar
Krishnamurthy, B. S. (1966). Rat fleas. In Insect Colonization and Mass Production. London: Academic Press, pp.73–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leeson, H. S. (1932). Methods of rearing and maintaining large stocks of fleas and mosquitoes for experimental purposes. Bulletin of Entomological Research 23, 25–31.Google Scholar
Linduska, J. P. & Cochran, J. H. (1946). A laboratory method of flea culture. Journal of Economic Entomology 39, 544–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mead-Briggs, A. R. (1964 a). The reproductive biology of the rabbit flea, Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale) and the dependence of this species upon the breeding of its host. Journal of Experimental Biology 41, 371–402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mead-Briggs, A. R. (1964 b). Some experiments concerning the interchange of rabbit fleas, Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale), between living hosts. Journal of Animal Ecology 33, 13–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mead-Briggs, A. R. & Rudge, A. J. B. (1960). Breeding of the rabbit flea, Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale); requirement of a ‘factor’ from a pregnant rabbit for ovarian maturation. Nature, London 187, 1136–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mead-Briggs, A. R. & Vaughan, J. A. (1969). Some requirements for mating in the rabbit flea, Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale). Journal of Experimental Biology 51, 495–511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mead-Briggs, A. R., Vaughan, J. A. & Rennison, B. D. (1975). Seasonal variation in numbers of the rabbit flea on the wild rabbit. Parasitology 70, 103–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rothschild, M. & Ford, B. (1964). Breeding of the rabbit flea (Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale)) controlled by reproductive hormones of the host. Nature, London 201, 103–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rothschild, M. & Ford, B. (1966). Hormones of the vertebrate host controlling ovarian regression and copulation in the rabbit flea. Nature, London 211, 261–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rothschild, M. & Ford, B. (1973). Factors influencing the breeding of the rabbit flea (Spilopsyllus cuniculi): a spring-time accelerator and a kairomone in nestling rabbit urine. Journal of Zoology 170, 87–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rothschild, M., Ford, B. & Hughes, M. (1970). Maturation of the male rabbit flea (Spilopsyllus cuniculi) and the oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis): some effects of mammalian hormones on development and impregnation. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 32, 105–88.Google Scholar
Sharif, M. (1937). On the internal anatomy of the larva of the rat flea, Nosopsyllus fasciatus (Bosc). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 227, 465–538.Google Scholar
Sharif, M. (1949). Effects of constant temperature and humidity on the development of the larvae and pupae of the three Indian species of Xenopsylla (Insecta: Siphonaptera). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B 233, 581–635.Google Scholar
Sobey, W. R., Menzies, W. & Conolly, Dorothy (1974). Myxomatosis: some observations on breeding the European rabbit flea Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale) in an animal house. Journal of Hygiene 72, 453–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Solomon, M. E. (1957). Estimation of humidity with cobalt thiocyanate papers and permanent colour standards. Bulletin of Entomological Research 48, 489–506.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaughan, J. A. & Mead-Briggs, A. R. (1970). Host-finding behaviour of the rabbit flea Spilopsyllus cuniculi with special reference to the significance of urine as an attractant. Parasitology 61, 397–409.CrossRefGoogle Scholar