Early literature concerning the pigeon argas as a parasite of 

 man has been reviewed by Nuttall et al (1908). l^re recently, Kemper 

 (193^) attributed four cases in Gerraany to the effects of warm 

 weather, Kemper and Reichrauth (l9/+l) reviewed the literature and 

 reported over twenty attacks in Germany, They believe it possible 

 that this tick might not be able to complete its life cycle on hu- 

 man blood. 



It is now evident that Porter's (1928) spirited account of '"A, 

 persicus" * in Calama, Antofagasta Province, Chile, must be referre'3 

 to A. reflexus (or to the American variant; see DISTRIBUTION above), 

 as Tndicated in the following paragraph. Bites of these ticks were 

 sufficiently niiraerous ajid painful for attention to be devoted to 

 the matter in the daily press of the region. Specimens furnished 

 parasitologists as the cause of this '"grave molestation'" were iden- 

 tified as A, persicus . Concerning Porter's report. Kohls (correspond- 

 ence J has provided the following note for inclusion here, 



•^Early in 1950, I received from Dr, Amador Neghme R,, 

 Chief Department of Parasitology of the Public Health 

 Service, Chile, four adults and a nymph (said to be) Argas 

 persicus , collected in the Province of Antofagasta at the 

 town of Calama. This seems to be the only Chileaji place 

 where this tick occurs, and is found in human houses and 

 in dovecotes. In reply to his letter, I said, ""Stijdy of 

 this material indicates that the ticks are not Argas persicus 



but Argas reflexus , The only South Americaji specimens 



of reflexus that I have seen previously were collected in 

 chicken coops at Bogota, Colombia The Calama speci- 

 mens appear to agree in all particulars with reflexus 

 of the Old World and from Bogota except for the presence 

 of a few quadrangular plates interspersed with the striae 

 on the flattened margins. This difference could well be 

 due to variation and for this reason I would like to have 

 more specimens from Calama for study*". In response to 

 this I received eleven adults from Calama and twenty 

 adults ajid fifteen nymphs from Chuquicamata, a town about 

 twenty miles away. The source was not mentioned in either 

 case, but all the specimens proved to be the same as those 

 sent previously. In brief, these specimens from Chile 

 that I have seen are not Argas persicus but are probably 

 local variants of A. reflexus *^" , 



The subject of A. reflexus as a human parasite will be treated 

 more fiilly in a subsequent volume of this work, 



_ 77 - 



