When disturbed the long-legged bat-argas is much more active 

 and moves vith greater speed that either A. confugus or A, vesper - 

 tilionis . The long anterior legs wave upland down while walking 

 and tap objects antenna-fashion. This tapping is especially active 

 just before the mouthparts are inserted. During feeding the anterio: 

 legs may or may not touch the host skin but they seldom function as 

 a support for the tick. These ticks will feed in light or in dark- 

 ness but prefer darkness. 



Ecology 



The original authors of A, boueti described this species from 

 material collected about 1910"'in hollow trees inhabited by the two 

 species of bats listed above. In the generally arid Northern Prov- 

 ince of Kenya, Heisch found adults on walls of an vmdergroimd con- 

 crete shelter and larvae on Megaderma cor in the same structure. 

 Those South African specimens with collecting data are from houses. 



In Egypt we commonly find the long-legged bat-argas thriving 

 under the most severe desert conditions. It is less common in 

 more hvimid buildings inhabited by bats in Cairo, A, boueti is the 

 most numerous bat-parasitizing argasid in Egypt arS the same eco- 

 logical observations noted for Egypt tinder A, vespertilionis apply 

 to this species. 



The frequency with which these long-legged ticks fall from 

 rough surfaces in the laboratory is surprising in view of their 

 usual habitat on walls and on ceilings of caves and chambers, A 

 number of specimens exhibit a body tremor that caiises them to flip 

 over on their dorsal sxirface with every few steps. Righting move- 

 ments require considerable effort. 



DISEASE RELATIONS 



MAN, Attacks on our laboratory personnel have caused mild 

 itching persisting for several weeks in warm weather, 



BATS. We have been unable to find spirochetes in Egyptian 

 material. Collections of local specimens injected into laboratory 

 animals have resulted in negative findings for viruses and ricketi:- 

 siae. Other material from the Cairo area has not yielded Shigella 

 organisms. The hosts from which the type series was collected in 

 French West Africa showed a trypanosome infection but research to 

 ascertain the relationship of ticks and trypanosomes was not under- 

 taken. 



- 9U- 



