128 kerout of tue entomological section 



Ticks 



Ixudoidca 



^"■^■' There are now twonty-ono species of ticks known to occur in tliis country. Of these, 



the following species have been placed on record sineu the last Eeport of these Laboratories 

 was issued : — 



Aryas bruinpti. — Nine immature specimens were taken among the rocks at the foot of 

 one of the hills or gebels at Gebelein. This tick was originally described from specimens 

 taken by Dr. Brumpt in somewhat similar situations in Somaliland. Judging from the 

 effects produced by a nymph which attached itself to my forearm one evening, its bite is a 

 thing to be carefully avoided. At the time, the pain was hardly noticeable and the tick was 

 allowed to remain sucking blood for several minutes until circumstances compelled me to 

 remove it. As I am usually very resistant to the bites and stings of ticks and insects, I was 

 considerably surprised to find the following morning that the site of the puncture was marked 

 by a small hard red lump around whicli was a slightly sw'ollen and very much discoloured 

 area, resembling a bruise, some three inches long and two inches wide. The discoloration 

 lasted for several days, while the hard red lump remained for weeks and was sometimes the 

 seat of a certain amount of pruritis. 



A. hrampti probably attacks wild animals as well as man — from the fact that the 

 Arabs living around Gebelein were unaware of the presence of " Khaim " (as they term ticks 

 of the genera Aryas and Ornithodoros) in the gebels, it seems probable that it relies almost 

 entirely on creatures other than human beings for its food. These gebels harbour leopards, 

 warthogs, hysenas, honey-badgers, conies, etc., besides untold myriads of bats. 



Ai-yas vi-apcrtilionis. — Eight larvffi were taken from an undetermined species of bat, in 

 Khartoum. They differ sliglitly in appearance from English specimens. 



Hiemaphijaalis leaclii. — This species has been taken on the dog and hare, on the White 

 Nile, and on a stoat (? possibly a species of mongoose) at Erkowit (Dr. E. V. Crispin, Sudan 

 Medical Department). 



Bermacentor rhinoccrotis . — A large number of both sexes was taken on grass and 

 bushes in the vicinity of Azzar, a few miles south of Bor. 



Specimens of this tick were also collected by Major Brakenridge, E.A.M.C., from a 

 rhinoceros shot by H.E.H. the Duke of Connaught in British East Africa. 



Ixodes sp. — A single female was taken from a dog, at Benk wood-station, and a 

 nymph of what may be the same species, also from a dog, at Kaka wood-station. The adult 

 specimen differs from I. cavipalpus in possessing a longer scutum but in other respects 

 closely resembles that species. Owing to its mouth-parts being broken it cannot be 

 definitely determined. 



Aponomrna exornatnm. — This has been taken a few miles south of Meshra-el-Zeraf on 

 the White Nile, and at Kassala (Captain Bousfield, E.A.M.C.), in both cases from a 

 large lizard. 



Apouomtna sp. incert. — A nymph of a species of Apunonnna which could not be 

 determined, was found with its rostrum buried in the quill of a partially-formed feather 

 on a wild guinea-fowl at Azzar. This is the first instance recorded of a member of 

 this genus attacking a bird. 



Anihhjomma tholloni. — ^A single female was taken on an elephant. 



Aviblyomma sp. incert. 



For the determinations of these ticks I am indebted to Professor G. H. F. Nuttall, F.E.S., 

 who very kindly examined a quantity of material collected on the White Nile in 1909. 



