Abstract
ROTHSCHILD, in 1911, separated the three species of fleas, X. cheopis, X. astia and X. brasiliensis of the genus Xenopsylla found on rats. X. cheopis is widely distributed in the tropics and is the principal plague flea in India. The three species (♀♀)mentioned here can be easily identified by the shape of the spermatheca. Until now, it has been reported that X. cheopis has a single spermatheca1–3 (Fig. 1).
References
Jordan, K., A Handbook for the Identification of Insects of Medical Importance by Smart, J. (printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum, 1956).
Pollitzer, R., Plague. World Health Organization, Monograph Series No. 22 (World Health Organization, Palais des Nations, Geneva, 1954).
Roy, D. N., and Brown, A. W. A., Entomology (Medical and Veterinary) (Excelsior Press, Calcutta 12, 1954).
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SHARMA, M., JOSHI, G. An Abnormal Form of Female Rat Flea, Xenopsylla Cheopis Roths.. Nature 191, 727 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/191727a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/191727a0
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