There is a generalized, vague inpression among students of the 

 African fauna that B. f a,1 1 ax is an endemic Madagascan tick that 

 has been introduced into Africa. However, the predilection of the 

 Boophilus ticks for ruminants, absent in the endemic Madagascan 

 fauna, as well as the apparently slow evolution of boophilids would 

 appear to negate any possibility that the species may have evolved 

 there within the few centiuries that cattle have been introduced to 

 these islands. It seems more likely that cattle from southern Asia 

 brought their characteristic ticks with them to i-ladagascar. For 

 over half a century there have been periods of heavy importation 

 of Madagascan cattle into South and East Africa, and these probably 

 introduced this tick into Africa. Export of cattle from infested 

 African areas to Madagascar may have returned some ticks to the 

 areas of their immigrant ancestors. 



DISTRIBUTION 



"■B. micro plus is foiind in Central America, South America, 

 Australia, the Oriental Region, in the southern part of Florida, 



and in parts of Africa After examining specimens of B. 



f allax ffinning from South Africa I am convinced that"" 



this species is a synonym of microplus " (Anastos 1950). 



The following are selected records from the Ethiopian and 

 Malagasy Faunal Regions for *B. f allax ". 



EAST AFRICA ; UQANDA (Wilson 19A3A,1950c). TANGANYIKA (Minning 

 193^. Theiler and Robinson 1954). 



SOUTHERN AFRICA ; MOZAMBIiUB (Theiler 19A3B. Santos Dias 1953B, 

 1954H,1955A;. NORTHERN RHODESIA (Matthysse 1954. Theiler and 

 Robinson 1954) . SOUTHERN RHODESIA (Theiler and Robinson 1954) . 

 NYASALAND (Wilson 1946,1950B. Theiler and Robinson 1954). UlTION 

 OF SOUTH AFRICA (As B. australis ; Fuller 1899 and Lounsbury 1905. 

 As B. annulatus; D(5nitz 1910B. As I'largaropus annulatus australis 

 and'as B. micro plus ; Howard 1908. Manning 1934^ Theiler 1943B. 

 Theiler and Robinson 1954) . 



MALAGASY REGION : l^IADAGASCAR (iGnning 1934. Buck 1935,1948A,C. 

 Buck and Metzger 1940. Buck and Ramarabazafy 1950. Zumpt 1950B. 



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