What is the male flea called? - briefly
«The male flea is commonly called a buck». It is the counterpart of the female, which is referred to as the queen.
What is the male flea called? - in detail
The male of the flea species is simply designated as a «male». In entomological literature the term «male» distinguishes the sex that produces sperm, as opposed to the «female», which lays eggs. No alternative common name exists; the classification relies on the generic sex label.
Morphological traits that separate a male flea from a female include:
- Smaller abdomen, reflecting the absence of egg‑carrying capacity.
- Presence of a well‑developed aedeagus, the copulatory organ located on the ventral side of the abdomen.
- Slightly elongated antennae and more pronounced genital sternites, observable under magnification.
During the life cycle, the male participates only in mating after emerging from the pupal stage. After adult emergence, males seek out newly emerged females, often within the same host environment, and engage in rapid copulation. Sperm transfer occurs through the aedeagus, and fertilization of the female’s oocytes follows shortly thereafter.
Reproductive behavior:
- Emergence from pupal cocoon.
- Locating receptive females on the host.
- Engaging in brief copulatory bouts.
- Dying shortly after mating, as males typically have a shorter lifespan than females.
The term «male» therefore serves both as the taxonomic identifier and the functional descriptor for the fertilizing sex of fleas.