to the southern Sahara, British Islands, Meilta, and northwest 

 Africa" ^einertzagen 1930). Possibilities for the wide dis- 

 persal of this tick are easily recognized. 



BIOLOGY 



Life Cycle 



Under laboratory conditions, H. rufipes is a two host tick 

 although it possibly may also undergo a tnree host type of life 

 cycle. Theiler (1943B and 1955 correspondence) has summarized 

 the developmental stages as follows: 



PEEIOD 



Preoviposition 



Oviposition period 



Oviposition to hatching 



Larval prefeeding period 



Larva feeds 



Premolting period 



Nymphal prefeeding period 



Nymph feeds 



Premolting period 



(Larvae and nymphs on host) 13 to A-5 average H. 



Adult prefeeding period 



Adult (female) feeds 



It appears that the minimum time for completing the life cycle 

 is between four and five months but double this period may be re- 

 quired under local conditions. 



"The life cycle of H. aegyptium (= ?H. rufipes , possibly mixed 

 with H. truncatum ; HH) is of particular value in that it illiis- 

 trate^ the influence of vermin in the distribution of the species. 

 On sheep, cattle, and domestic fowl it behaves as a three host 

 tick, requiring a separate host for the larval, nymphal, and adult 

 stages. On the hare, H. aegyptium will feed as a larva, become 

 engorged, molt as a nymph without leaving the host, feed as a 



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