Continued
Morphology:
Adults - females about 1 mm long, dark brown, laterally flattened, wingless, piercing-sucking mouthparts, genal and pronotal combs, angular head. Eggs, Larvae, Pupae - similar to Ctenocephalides spp .

Life cycle (stages): Basically similar to that of Ctenocephalides spp . but intimately linked to the host's corticosteroid level the flea's ovaries mature only after it has fed on a pregnant rabbit or hare. Eggs of the flea are laid only after it has fed on a newborn lagomorph

Site of infestation: Skin, primarily of the ears

Pathogenesis/clinical signs: Because they congregate on the ears, these fleas may cause much irritation and tissue damage. Transmit Trypanosoma nabiasi (nonpathogenic) and myxomatosis virus. Could be introduced into a laboratory animal colony on specimens obtained from the wild, but probably would not persist in the laboratory because of its reproductive requirements