other wild animals: Hares (Tromsdorff 191A, Bedford 1932B, 

 Cooley 193/h). Zebra (Bedford 1932B). Bushpig (Santos Dias 1950B). 

 Buffalo (Old 1909, Schwetz 1927B,C, Mettajn 1932, Jack 19A2). 



BIOLOGY 



Life Cycle 



B. de color atus is a one-host tick. Females lay their eggs 

 on the ground. When larvae find a siiitable host they remain on 

 it, either on the dewlap ajid neck or on the ears, at the tip or 

 along the upper edge of the pinna. On the ears, larvae are often 

 associated with immature stages of R. appe nd i c\ilat us . At this 

 locus larvae molt to nymphs and nyn^hs molt to adults. Adults 

 usually move to the belly and flanks of the host, and mate on 

 the animal. The life cycle is completed entirely on the host 

 except for oviposition, in from three weeks (A. Theiler 1911B) 

 to a month (Lewis 1939B). Lovmsbury (1905B) stated that females 

 leave the host 23 days after having attached as larvae, but males 

 may remain on the host for another month. He listed the pre- 

 oviposition period as six to nine days. Eggs hatch after five 

 weeks and larvae molt one week after having completed feeding. 

 Wintertime egglaying and hatching is much slower. Unfed larvae 

 may survive for over eight months (Theiler 1949A). 



Ecology 



A. Theiler (l91l) reported such a heavy infestation of B. 

 decoloratus on a horse that it died of acute anaemia. Half of 

 the ticks were collected; they weighed fourteen pounds. >tore 

 recent literatiire on arsenic-resistance in South African blue 

 ticks also frequently refers to and illustrates markedly heavy 

 infestations of host animsLls'. 



Because of their unique life cycle, boophilids are readily 

 controlled by dipping cattle, and there are numerous reports of 

 the eradication of B. decoloratus from large area^. New control 

 problems are posed, "however, by the development of resistant 

 strains. 



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