Influence of photoperiod on egg production of cat fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) infesting cats.

Photoperiod affected the production of cat flea eggs by cats infested with cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché). Cat flea eggs have a smooth chorion and do not adhere to the host. About 60% of fluorescing eggs placed in the pelage were recovered in collecting trays underneath the host in 2 h. An average of 87.7 eggs per cat was laid during the last 8 h of the scotophase compared with 49.9 and 59.1 eggs during the other 8-h periods. Significant variation in the number of eggs collected daily existed among the six cats. The activity budgets were similar for all the cats with the maximum sleep period during the photophase. The possible adaptive advantages of synchronizing egg production with photoperiod are discussed.