A Collection of Fleas (Siphonaptera) from Northern Saudi Arabia

Abstract

A collection from northern Saudi Arabia of 1,185 fleas of ten different species is reported. Species listed are Synosternus pallidus, S. cleopatrae, Xenopsylla nubica, X. conformis mycerini, Coptopsylla sp. n., Stenoponia tripectinata irakana/medialis, Caenopsylla laptevi, Ophthalmopsylla volgensis palestinica, Nosopsyllus theodori, and N. pringlei. The distribution of the species is discussed. Excluding the report by Sanborn and Hoogstraal (1953) on mammal and ectoparasite collections from Yemen, there is practically no information concerning the fleas of Saudi Arabia. On invitation from the Trans-Arabian Pipeline Company, two collecting trips were made to the pumping stations along the pipeline to survey the occurrence of fleas of potential medical importance. The following is an account of these collections. The Trans-Arabian Pipeline extends from the oil fields of northeastern Saudi Arabia across the Arabian Peninsula to its western terminal on the Mediterranean Sea at the Lebanese village of Sidon. Within the political boundaries of Saudi Arabia are four major TAPLINE pumping stations. These are spaced approximately 200 miles apart and occur from west to east in the following order: Turaif, Badanah, Rafha, and Qaisumah. The locations of the various stations are shown in Figure 1. The entire area, on the average, receives less than 10 inches of rainfall per year, and in some localities rain may not fall for 2 or 3 years in