Influence of Temperature and Humidity on Survival and Development of the Cat Flea, Ctenocephalides Felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)
- 20 February 1981
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Medical Entomology
- Vol. 18 (1) , 78-83
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/18.1.78
Abstract
The survival and development of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis , were assessed at various temperatures and relative humidities (RH). The upper and lower temperature limits for development (egg to adult) were 32 and 13°C. The length of the developmental period ranged from 14 to 140 days at these temperature extremes. Complete development occurred from 50–92% rh. Immature C. felis reared at 92% rh produced larger adults than those reared at 50% rh. At 27°C, the minimum rh necessary for greater than 50% survival of the immature stages was egg, 33%; larva, 50%; and pupa, 2%. Adult longevity increased with increasing rh and decreasing temperature.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: