33»» Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



found chiefly iu North Africa and Southern Europe. II is innasitic 

 upon all domestic animals. 



None of these three species has been known to be carriers of any 

 disease, but it is probable that all are capable of transmittino' East 

 Coast fever. 



Argentine or Lounshury\s Tick (Margaropus withemi. Karsch). 



Characters. — The males can easily be recog-nized by the fourth 

 pair of leg's being very much larger than any of the others, and by 

 the abdomen having a distinct caudal protru.sion (tailK On the under 

 surface of the body there is a peculiar shaped plate in front of the 

 anus. They are wliite in colour, with a brown shield which is often 

 marked with dark lines, and the legs are pale with narrow, dark 

 bands at the joints. 



The females closely resemble the lihu* Tick, from which they ran 

 be distinguished by their larger size, and V)y their legs being bniuh-d 

 as in the male. 



This is a South American tick, which was probably imported into 

 ihis country during the Boer War with mules or horses from the 

 Argentine. It is a common tick in luany parts of the Orange Free 

 State and Basutoland. It is mainly parasitic upon horses, and is 

 occasionally found on cattle. It has occasionally been found at flic 

 Yeterinary Research Laboratory. Onderstepoort. on horses from the 

 Free State, but it ^ery soon dies out here, no doubt owing to the 

 climatic conditions being unsuited for it. 



The life history of this species is unknown, and the tick is not 

 known to be able to transmit any disease. 



The Blue Tick CBoophilus decoloratus, Koch). 



Characters. — Hypostome and palpi veiy short, anal grooves and 

 festoons absent, eyes present, males and unengorged females very 

 small, the latter with a small scutum. 



The engorged females can be recognized by their blue colour and 

 pale, yellow legs, and the males by their yellowish-brown colour and 

 yellow legs, the presence of adanal and accessory adanal shields on 

 the ventral surface of the abdomen, which are long and pointed 

 behind, the tips being usually visible when the ticks are viewed from 

 above, and finally liy the abdomen terminating in a short, pointed 

 tail behind. 



This is the commonest tick found in South Africa : it is chiefly 

 found on cattle and horses, but also occurs on sheep, goats, and dogs. 

 They are usually found on the body and head of their host, and the 

 immature forms are often very plentiful in the ears. 



Life History. — This tick requires only one host in order to com- 

 plete its life cycle. The females lay on an average 1000 to 2500 egg^. 

 which take about three to ^x weeks to hatch. The larvae, after 

 gorging, remain adhered to their host and moult into nymphs, which 

 reattach themselves immediately: when fully engorged they remain 

 in situ and moult into adults, vvhich again attach themselves. The 

 engorged females drop off in twenty-two to thirty-eight days (twenty- 

 two days in summer and about thirty to thirty-eight days in winter) 

 lifter they get on to their host as unfed larvae. 



The unfed larvae have been kept alive for six months, but as a 

 rule thev will not live more than three months witliout food. 



