Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 19, 2026

Pulex

Pulex is a genus of fleas. It comprises seven species. One is the human flea, and five of the others are confined to the Nearctic and Neotropical realms.

Last revised
Jun 19, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
131 w
Citations
2
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Pulex
Pulex irritans (human flea)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Siphonaptera
Family: Pulicidae
Subfamily: Pulicinae
Genus: Pulex
Linnaeus, 1758

Pulex is a genus of fleas. It comprises seven species. One is the human flea (P. irritans), and five of the others are confined to the Nearctic and Neotropical realms.1

Species

Encyclopedia of Life lists seven species:2

  • Pulex alvarezi Barrera, 1955
  • Pulex echidnophagoides (Wagner, 1933)
  • Pulex irritans Linnaeus, 1758
  • Pulex larimerius Lewis et Grimaldi, 1997
  • Pulex porcinus Jordan et Rothschild, 1923
  • Pulex simulans Baker, 1895
  • Pulex sinoculus Traub, 1950
References

References

  1. Michael F. Whiting; Alison S. Whiting; Michael W. Hastriter; Katharina Dittmar (2008). "A molecular phylogeny of fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera): origins and host associations" (PDF). Cladistics. 24 (5): 1–31. doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2008.00211.x.
  2. "Pulex". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 8 March 2015.