or I'liddle East probably was its original home. Transportation by 

 caravans, lack of field search and of literature reports, and con- 

 fused identification in Africa have combined to provide a still 

 uncertain pictiire of this tampaji's actual distribution within the 

 noted range, 



Diiring Neumann's time 0. savignyi was frequently confused with 

 0, moubata and acceptance o7 many early records and of some even 

 more recent reports is questionable. These two species never occur 

 in the same ecological niches. They are close neighbors in some 

 areas, as Somaliland, where 0. moubata inhabits huts next to trees 

 imder which 0. savignyi hide". 



Brurapt (1936} summarized the Icnown geographical distribution 

 and medical relations of 0. savignyi . He noted especially that 

 even though this tampan i" frequently found along remote camel 

 trails, it is not known from I-brocco in spite of considerable 

 search for it there. 



Briunpt (loc . cit.) also considered it surprising that 0. 

 savignyi has not been carried to Madagascar but that 0. mo.uBata 

 is common in some areas of that island. Once the very different 

 biology of these two species is understood, a reasonable explana- 

 tion for this distribution pattern may be offered. 



0. moubata is a highly domesticated parasite that inhabits 

 man's dwellings and frequently hides among his personal effects. 

 It was probably transported from Africa to nearby Iladagascar 

 among gear in seagoing vessels. This tick has not been able to 

 survive elsewhere outside of tropical ajid southern Africa, where 

 it is endemic. 



0. savignyi , on the other hand, appears to have erratically 

 invaded Africa from the East. It prefers more arid outdoor condi- 

 tions than are found in irost parts of Madagascar, and part of 

 its spread probably has been by camels, which are not used in 

 Madagascar. In southern Africa, the range of 0. savignyi appears 

 to be related to environment and wild animals rather than to the 

 comparative recent introduction of cainels, movements of domestic 

 stock, or treks of hiinters (Theiler, unpublished). In African 

 regions where 0. savignyi does occur, populations are often spotty, 



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