78/150: Jumping bloodsuckers Batman! It’s a flea!

Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae: Ceratophyllinae: Ceratophyllus: Ceratophyllus vison (Baker, 1904)

This species of flea is an ectoparasitic insect of squirrels, living on red squirrels east of the Rocky Mountains and Douglas squirrels to the west. Being an ectoparasite means that they live on a host, so fleas have evolved particular features that help them live such a lifestyle, such as a loss of wing development, strong claws for grasping onto the host, and a laterally flattened body to move through the hair or fur. Fleas feed on the blood of their host, so they have mouth-parts similar to mosquitoes and true bugs for piercing and sucking. Their larvae however are not parasites and instead are ground dwelling and feed on organic matter. Fleas don’t have wings but that doesn’t impede their ability to get around. Their powerful hindlegs can propel them 200 times their height when they jump. That’s equivalent to a man jumping over the Empire State Building! There are 48 specimens on BOLD with barcodes. #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID:  CSBMP045-10

nucleotide sequence

AACTTTATACTTTATTTTTGGGGCATGATCTGGAATAATTGGTACTTCTTTAAGTATTTTAATTCGAACTGAATTAGGTCAACCAGGATCATTAATTGGAGACGATCAAATTTTTAATGTAATTGTTACTGCTCATGCTTTCGTAATAATTTTCTTTATAGTAATACCTATTTTAATTGGAGGATTTGGAAACTGATTAATCCCTTTAATATTAGGAGCGCCAGATATAGCTTTCCCTCGAATAAATAATATAAGATTTTGATTATTACCGCCATCTTTAATTTTACTTCTTTCAAGATCTATAGTTGAAAGAGGAGCTGGTACTGGATGAACAGTTTACCCTCCTCTTTCATCTACTATTGCTCATAGAGGAGCTTCAGTCGACTTAACTATTTTTAGTCTTCATATAGCAGGTATTTCATCAATTTTAGGGGCTATTAATTTTATTACTACTTGTATTAATATACGACCTATTGGAATAAATTTAGACCGAATACCTTTATTTGTTTGATCAGTCTTTATTACTGCTTTCTTACTTTTATTATCTTTACCAGTACTTGCAGGAGCAATTACCATACTTTTAACAGACCGTAACTTAAATACATCTTTTTTTGACCCTGCTGGAGGGGGGGATCCTATTCTTTATCAACATTTATTT

amino acid sequence

TLYFIFGAWSGMIGTSLSILIRTELGQPGSLIGDDQIFNVIVTAHAFVMIFFMVMPILIGGFGNWLIPLMLGAPDMAFPRMNNMSFWLLPPSLILLLSSSMVESGAGTGWTVYPPLSSTIAHSGASVDLTIFSLHMAGISSILGAINFITTCINMRPIGMNLDRMPLFVWSVFITAFLLLLSLPVLAGAITMLLTDRNLNTSFFDPAGGGDPILYQHLF

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAF9680