RHIPICH'HALUS CCMPOSITUS Neumann, 1897 

 (= R. AYBII Lewis, 1933). 

 (Figures 253 to 256) 

 THE EAST AFRICAN HIGHIAND BROWN TICK 



L N $ (? EQUATORIA PROVINCE RECORDS 



2 1 Nimule Syncerus caffer aequinoctialis Dec 



3 2 Kheirallah ^mcerus caffer aequinoctialis _ (SGC) 



These specimens, from the east and west banks of Bquatoria 

 Province, are the first of R. compositus from known localities in 

 the Sudan. Although the Kheirallah (spelled Hierallah on the 

 label) specimens were collected in 1911 by H. H. King, they had 

 remained iinidentified in Sudan Government collections. For 

 further comments on these specimens, see BIOLOGY below. 



DISTRIBimON IN THE SUDAN 



The type locality given by Neumann (1897) for R. compositus 

 is Khartoum. It is obviously impossible that this Tick has been 

 established in this desert environment in recent times. Un_ 

 fort\anately, the source of specimens provided Neumann was fre- 

 quently incorrect and his acceptance of collectors' information 

 has subseq\aently led to ntunerous misconceptions before knowledge 

 of the species concerned became detailed enough to recognize 

 these errors. It is hardly likely, in the troubled and harassed 

 times when the type specimens were reputed to have been collected 

 at Khartoum, that cattle were being imported there in any numbers 

 from areas where this tick is likely to occur. It is possible, 

 but not very probable, that the collector merely lumped the vast 

 poorly- explored northeastern African area of his day under the 

 heading Khartoum. The normal occurrence of R. compositus out- 

 side of Equatoria Province in the Sudan is hardly to be expected, 

 and even in this Province it is probably restricted to the rather 

 few highland outcrops and their vicinity. 



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