Alfeev (1951) reared H. drome darii as a single host tick on rabbits 

 and noted that adults''inove to new positions shortly after molting 

 and remain imatt ached to the host for a day or two afterwards. 



Field observations suggest that this is normally a two host 

 tick, the change in hosts iisually occurring after the nymphaL- 

 adult molt, infrequently after the larvaL-nymphal molt (Hoogstraal, 

 ms.). In Russia the former type appears most common (Pomerantzev 

 1950) . 



Experimentally, Pospelova-Shtrom (1932) bred H. drome darii 

 (= H. yaMmowi ) on one, two, or three hosts. For *^he single host 

 lif^ cycle, she employed the hedgehog. /"The highly artificial 

 conditions and exceptional hosts utilized in this experiment pre^. 

 elude additional deductions from the results. _^ 



During the warm season in Iran, the briefest life cycle obu 

 served by Delpy and Gouchey (1937) was 93 days; During cold 

 weather, 280 or nore days were necessary. Two generations a year 

 may occur in natvure. Variations in life cycle length are due to 

 external or climatic factors affecting ovi position, hatching, and 

 premolting periods; feeding times are similar at all seasons. 

 These findings are diametrically opposed to those of Pospelova- 

 Shtrom (loc . cit .), who concluded, after rearing two generations 

 under different temperattire and humidity conditions, that varia- 

 tions in the length of different stages depends more on host body- 

 temperature than on atmospheric differences. The Delpy-Gouchey 

 conclusions are more in line with usual concepts concerning factors 

 affecting tick life cycles. (See page 704) 



In Egypt, some slight seasonal variation in incidence of 

 adults on camels is noticed (Hoogstraal, ms.). Normal life cycle 

 activity appears to continue the year around, except that it is 

 slower during the winter. For instance, during the summer, 

 r^nnphs molt to adults from seventeen to 26 days after dropping frCTn 

 the host while in winter this period is extended to from 27 to 48 

 days. 



Feeding time for each stage, according to Delpy and Gouchey, 

 is as follows: 



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