64 
Parasitic Arthropods 
According to Nuttall it is specifically identical with Argas americanus 
Packard or Argas miniatus Koch, which is commonly found on fowls- 
in the United States, in the South 
and Southwest. Its habits are com¬ 
parable to those of the bed-bug. It 
feeds intermittently, primarily at 
night, and instead of remaining on its 
host, it then retreats to cracks and 
crevices. Hunter and Hooker (1908) 
record that they have found the larva 
to remain attached for five or eight 
days before dropping. Unlike the 
Ixodidae, the adults oviposit fre¬ 
quently. 
The most remarkable feature of 
the biology of this species is the great 
47 . Otiobius (Ornithodoros) megnini, head longevity, especially of the adult, 
of nymph. After Stiles. & J ^ J 
Hunter and Hooker report keeping 
larvae confined in summer in pill boxes immediately after hatch¬ 
ing for about two months while under similar conditions those 
of the Ixodid, Boophilus annulatus lived for but two or three days. 
48. Otiobius (Ornithodoros) megnini, male, (a) dorsal, (6) ventral 
aspect. After Nuttall and Warburton. 
Many writers have recorded keeping adults for long periods without 
food. We have kept specimens in a tin box for over a year and a half 
and at the end of that time a number were still alive. Laboullicne 
kept unfed adults for over three years. In view of the effectiveness of 
