This feeding period is longer than those of nymphs and twice as 

 long as that of the male. Females commence feeding about two 

 days after molting, ^Jobling_7 



Frequently repeated remarks by workers of the 1905 to 1907 

 period that 0. iroubata may molt after reaching adulthood un_ 

 questionably""were based on erroneous identification of advanced 

 nymphal stages as adults. 



The minimum time necessary for 0. moubata to complete its 

 life cycle is 62 days for males and "73 days for females, but in 

 practice in the laboratory there seems to be some advantage to 

 lengthening the periods of rest after molting and before feeding 

 (Pierquin and Nieraegeers). The life cycle can be enormously 

 lengthened by delaying feeding and mating; and, for laboratory 

 rearing, nymphs can be produced to meet any desired schedule, 

 within certain limits, by selective timing. 



The longevity of 0. moubata has excited much interest since 

 it may be an importarit""f actor in allowing new populations to 

 develop from a few imported specimens in areas where hosts are 

 scarce. Hirst (1917) maintained unfed specimens alive for four- 

 teen months and Mayer (1918) kept others alive as long as five 

 years. Cunliffe (1921 ) recorded female longevity averaging 715 

 days under ideal conditions of temperature and humidity with food 

 available, and ^41 days when food was unavailable. Nymphs (re- 

 ported as larvae) have been kept alive without food for over 710 

 days in the Nairobi medical laboratories ("Kenya 1928'*). These 

 figures are representative of numerous other records. The prac- 

 tical importance of the long life of this species needs to be 

 determined inasmuch as the fertility of long unfed females is 

 much less thaJi that of individuals that are permitted to feed 

 at will. It has also been shown that female fertility decreases 

 sharply five or six months following the nymphaL-adult inolt. 

 No reports have been encountered that indicate a difference be- 

 tween male and female life expectancy. 



Parthenogenesis of 0. moubata may have been observed by Cun- 

 liffe, althoiigh he hesitated to be assured that the female had 

 not been fertilized when unobserved. Parthenogenesis definitely 

 has been established by Davis (1951 ), v/ho reared 38 of US indi- 



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