It is well established that Pulex simulans and P. irritans are closely related. However, initial inferences about their species boundaries are based on a subset of inadequate morphological characters, and difficulties in defining species are further compounded by poor sampling of specimens and localities. Both species have been implicated as vectors for certain pathogens, among them Yersinia pestis (plague) and several Rickettsia agents (typhus), thus understanding their species boundaries is important for epidemiological studies. The lack of clearly defined species has produced confusion in vector efficiency studies which attempt to link the role of a specific flea to specific outbreaks of diseases.
We sampled ~200 individuals from both species throughout the world and sequenced the mitochondrial markers cytochrome B and cytochrome oxidase II. This yielded 85 unique haplotypes. Methods of model based tree estimation were combined with nested clade analysis to retrieve shallow and deep phylogenetic histories of this species complex and explore the species boundaries of Pulex irritans and P. simulans. Our analyses support the paraphyly of P. simulans with respect to P. irritans.
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