In northern Caiicasus, larval "H. scupense " infest cattle in 

 October and overvinter on the animals. Adults appear early in 

 spring (Markov, Gildenblat, Kurchatov, and Petunin 19A-8) . These 

 workers confirm the single-host life cycle of this tick as does 

 Alfeev (1951) and Melnikova (1953), in his study of the ticks 

 of the Crimean National Forest. There, adults are found on 

 cattle and wild ungtilates from September through April but rare 

 individuals may be collected on deer during the summer (May to 

 June). All stages occur on deer during the winter (November- 

 December) but in January and February only nymphs and adults are 

 found, and by the second half of March all nyijiphs have molted to 

 adults. In April and the first half of May, only males and 

 greatly engorged females are found on wild ungulates. 



Ecology of H. detritum* 



In eastern Transcaucasia, H. detrituia inhabits various types 

 of desert and steppe areas, described by Pomerantzev, Matikashvily, 

 and Lototsky (1940; (see six paragraphs below). In the Arax val- 

 ley of Armenia, Pomerantzev (1934) found this tick only in saline, 

 marshy types of grassland pastvire areas, not in Artemesia semi- 

 desert areas. 



It appears that H. detritum infests a selected variety of 

 semidesert areas, and"*also steppe and other grassy areas, but 

 not forest zones. It still requires to be explained why H. 

 detritum , which seems to be ecologically more limited than 

 "H. scupense " , should have a so much more extensive geographical 

 range than "H. scupense " . 



Larvae, since they attach to cattle in the cool months of 

 October and November in Tadzhistan and eastern Uzbekistan, 

 select those parts of the host body most exposed to the sun. 

 Summer-feeding adults attach on the shaded undersides of the 

 host (Galuzo 1943). 



Among the enemies of these ticks are wagtails (Motacilla 

 spp.), one of which may eat as many as a dozen engorged female 

 ticks from a cow. This bird, and the heron, are considered of 

 importance in the control of H« detrit\m in Spain (Miranda. 

 Entrenas 1954). ~ 



*See also life cycle of this form above, and ecology of "H. 

 scupense " below. 



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