Altitiiiinal distribution in Kenya is from sea level to 11,000 

 feet (Lewis 1932A) . Lewis (1931C) considered this species as one 

 relatively little affected by conditions influenced by altitude. 

 In Ruanda-Urundi, the glossy tick ranges to about 56OO feet al- 

 titude (Schoenaers 1951B). Neumann's (190X,1910B) Tanganyika 

 records include specimens from altitudes up to about 6OOO feet. 

 In Arabia this tick is known only from the temperate, watered 

 3500 foot to 7000 foot range of the Yemen mountains but not from 

 drier and hotter lowlands (Hoogstraal, ms.). 



The seasonal cycle of R. s. simus is not well known. During 

 the colder months of the year, "Wilson (194-6) found no adults in 

 Northern Province, Nyasaland but his collections were mostly from 

 cattle, which are not common hosts there. Engorged females were 

 found during the wet season (Wilson 1950B). In the Svidan newly 

 molted adults were collected in rodent nests during the dry sea- 

 son and engorged adults on larger hosts chiefly diiring the dry 

 season. In Northern Rhodesia, Matthysse (1954) found adults on 

 cattle chiefly during the rainy season, but some also in dry 

 periods. The emergence of adults and the length of time they 

 normally remain in their host's nest at different seasons of 

 the year should be investigated. 



On cattle, adults of R. s. simus are usually found on the 

 tail switch, feet, and aniis (Theiler 1943, Wilson 1948B, Matthysse 

 1954). On dogs they feed almost anywhere, as noted by Theiler 

 (1943B) and Wiley (1953). Our Sudan specimens from hippopotamus 

 were all found on the hosts' ears. Neumann's thirty specimens 

 from a Kenyan rhinoceros were taken from the host's inguinal area. 



Adults awaiting a host show "a marked predilection for tall 

 grass overhanging paths, but are common everywhere", including 

 in human habitations, where they were associated with boutonneuse 

 fever by Dick and Lewis (1947) . They are also found in houses in 

 Somaliland (Drake-Brockman 1913B, Veneroni 1928), where they bite 

 children and cause paralysis. The close association between the 

 glossy tick and man is easily understandable. Adults are common 

 on domestic dogs and less frequently, under local conditions, on 

 cattle. The immature stages feed on rodents that frequently 

 nest under vegetation bordering garden plots and cultivated fields, 

 beside roads and paths, near buildings, or in the vicinity of 

 streams where people congregate. Many of these rodent hosts 



- 749 - 



