Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Sciences, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2022 (159-165) 159 Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Sciences www.vetmedmosul.com Epidemiological study and identification of some flea species infesting wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and cape hares (Lepus capensis) in northern Algeria I. Ammam 1 , M. Rahal 2 , K. Rahal 3 and I. Bitam 1 1 Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environment, Interactions, Genome, University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumedienne, Algiers, 2 Department of Biology, University of Yahia Fares, Medea, 3 Institute of Veterinary Sciences, University of Blida, Blida, Algeria Article information Abstract Article history: Received February 18, 2021 Accepted May 04, 2021 Available online November 23, 2021 Wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and cape hare (Lepus capensis) are hosts for different flea species and have high medical and veterinary importance, fleas of wild leporids are of special concern since they can act as vectors for diseases, including zoonoses. This study was designed to identify flea species infesting these animals with the description of their epidemiology and the assessment of factors influencing their infestation importance in five provinces located in northern Algeria, to evaluate their implication in the transmission of pathogens. In total, 86 wild leporids were checked from July 2014 to September 2020. Fleas were collected from the fur of animals with tweezers and identified using appropriate keys. The findings showed that 32/86 (37.2%) of animals were infested with fleas. Four flea’s species were identified on cape hares Ctenocefalides felis (51.06% of fleas identified), Ctenocefalides canis 34.04%, Spilopsyllus cuniculi 10.63%, and Archaeopsylla erinacei 4.25%, with a seasonal peak in December. The same, four flea species were found parasitizing wild rabbits Spilopsyllus cuniculi 90.7%, Ctenocefalides felis 4.65%, Ctenocefalides canis 2.32%, and Pulex irritans 2.32%, with the highest importance in March and April. Moreover, this study showed no influence of female gestations on the rate of flea hare infestations. However, S cuniculi rate was correlated with the breeding cycle of the wild rabbits. These findings revealed that, the temperature and the humidity can be important factors that influence on wild leporids flea infestation. Keywords: Algeria Cape hare Ectoparasites Fleas Wild rabbit Correspondence: I. Ammam imiammam@gmail.com DOI: 10.33899/ijvs.2021.129596.1665, ©Authors, 2022, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Mosul. This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Introduction Wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and cape hare (Lepus capensis) belong to the family Leporidae and are widespread in Algeria (1). They are one of the most popular game animals (1). These wild leporids are known as potential reservoirs for many zoonotic pathogenic agents, including tularemia (Francisella tularensis), plague (Yersinia pestis), pasteurellosis (Pasteurella multocida), ringworm (Trichophyton spp.), and cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium cuniculus) (2). Additionally, can be also a host to several external parasites including fleas (Insecta, Siphonaptera) (1), which are obligate hematophagous insects (3). Like other ectoparasites present on hares and wild rabbits, they suck blood and cause irritation and anemia when found in significant amounts on the host (4,5). In addition, these parasites play important role as disease vectors and can spread certain pathogenic agents to animals and humans (4). Ctenocefalides felis and Ctenocefalides canis are carriers of Rickettsia.felis and Barttonella spp (6),