Flea

Indoors on domestic pets, carpets, bedding, as well as outdoors in shaded areas where host animals rest.

Adults are obligate hematophages feeding on the blood of mammals and birds; larvae feed on organic debris, particularly adult flea feces ('flea dirt').

Flightless ectoparasites with powerful hind legs adapted for jumping long distances; adults spend most of their time on host animals feeding and mating, laying eggs that fall into the environment.

Risks include itchy bites, allergic dermatitis in pets and humans, tapeworm transmission, and potential vectoring of diseases such as murine typhus and plague. They offer no direct ecological benefits in home environments.