IDEIITIFICATION 



Males ; There is no question of identity of this important 

 species in the Sudan tick fauna or throughout rnost of its range. 

 The combination of characters including herai spherical, orbited 

 eyes, long lateral grooves, entirely black festoons, and paucity 

 of large scutal punctations easily distinguishes A. variegatum . 

 The scutal ornamentation is as illustrated (Figure 92 J except 

 that in about five percent of specimens an additional coppery 

 spot may be found just inside (not outside) of the lateral 

 grooves at the level of the scutal midlength. Specimens with 

 these spots are readily distinguished from A. lepidum and A. 

 pomposum by their dark festoons and lack of large scutal puncta- 

 tions. 



Note ; According to Jack (1942) males from eastern parts of 

 Southern Rhodesia approach A. pomposuTi in that they have coarse 

 scutal punctation. No females were available for comparison. 

 A few confusing specimens such as these from the S\jdan, East Afri 

 ca, and Yemen (Arabia) have been observed (See IDEirriFICATION of 

 A. pomposum , page 24.5). 



Females ; This sex is sometimes more difficult to identify 

 with certainty than the male. Hemispherical, orbited eyes are 

 also foiond in A. lepidum and A. pomposum . In the latter, the 

 very rugose, broad, short scutum easily separates it. The pos- 

 terior margin of A. variegatum is comparatively -xire broadly 

 rounded than that of A. lepidum . One may have considerable dif- 

 ficulty in deciding whether a female scutum is v/idely or narrow- 

 ly pointed posteriorly. There appears to be some variation in 

 this character, but a thorough study has been impossible be- 

 cause, in all available collections, no more than eighty female 

 specimens of A. lepidum have been seen. No large series from 

 any single area has been represented and until such time as more 

 material comes to hand it is preferable to hold the study of 

 this feature in abeyance. 



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