Fleas (Siphonaptera) of eulipotyphla in the Caucasus

Species of the order Eulipotyphla are important components of terrestrial ecosystems. These are active consumers of small animals, primarily arthropods, the main carriers of infectious diseases in a number of natural foci of tularemia, hanoviruses, and leptospirosis They may be infected with the causative agent of the plague. Arthropods that parasitize Eulipotyphla may also be infected with the pathogens of these diseases and serve as their vectors. The taxonomic diversity, distribution pattern and parasite-host relationships of flea species noted as parasites of Eulipotyphla in the Caucasus are analyzed. Insectivores and their fleas entered the Caucasus from Southern Europe, Asia Minor and Near East in the Pliocene in parallel with the migration of floral complexes.