Kauaʻi record · KCA-IA-00764
Xenopsylla vexabilis
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About Xenopsylla vexabilis
Hawaiian / Australian Rat Flea (Xenopsylla vexabilis) is a member of Pulicidae in the order Siphonaptera. Its recorded origin status on Kauaʻi is polynesian-introduced / adventive.
Hawaiian / Australian Rat Flea (Xenopsylla vexabilis) is a parasitic flea documented from Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum synthesis of Hawaiian rodent ectoparasites.
Kauaʻi occurrence evidence: Tenorio & Goff (1980) explicitly list Kauaʻi in the distribution of Xenopsylla vexabilis and discuss its probable pre-Cook arrival with Rattus exulans.
The cited occurrence evidence does not by itself establish current abundance or population trend on Kauaʻi.
Life cycle
Egg; larva; pupa; adult; holometabolous ectoparasite life cycle.
Habitat
Associated with mammal or bird hosts and host bedding/nests; Kauaʻi occurrence is host-associated rather than free-living habitat occupancy.
Food and ecological role
Adults blood-feed on hosts; larvae consume organic debris and flea feces in host environments.
Reproduction
Adults mate on or near hosts; eggs fall into host resting areas; species-specific fecundity requires sourcing.
Movement
Dispersal occurs with hosts and movement among host resting sites; anthropogenic host transport can spread introduced fleas.
Ecosystem role
Ectoparasite; some species have veterinary or disease-vector significance.
Monitoring
Lock modern Kauaʻi locality/voucher detail where available, accepted-name authority, host or microhabitat associations, and exact-taxon public reference media/license.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Xenopsylla vexabilis
- Common names
- Hawaiian / Australian Rat Flea
- Family
- Pulicidae
- Order
- Siphonaptera
- Record type
- species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Present / documented
- Origin
- Polynesian-introduced / adventive
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal description
- Hawaiian / Australian Rat Flea (Xenopsylla vexabilis) is a member of Pulicidae in the order Siphonaptera. Its recorded origin status on Kauaʻi is polynesian-introduced / adventive.