February, '12] REVIEWS 93 



and one species, Spclaorhynchus proecursor, a peculiar bat parasite from Brazil. The 

 subfamily Ixodina> is divided into sections, Ixodini and Argatini corresponding to 

 the families Ixodidae and AgasidiE of other authors. The section Ixodini is divided 

 into four tribes, Ixodaria containing the genus Ixodes; Rhipicephalaria containing 

 the genera Rlupicentor, Margaropus and Hyalomma; Amblyommataria with the 

 genera Amblj^omma, Aponomma, Dermacentor and Haemaph3-saUs. Few system- 

 atists will agree with this classification in all respects though it is not vastly different 

 from the arrangement proposed b}^ some other workers. It will be seen from the 

 above list of genera that Neumann in this publication, as in earlier works, divides 

 his subfamily Ixodina; into ten genera. In these ten genera he recognizes 206 valid 

 and 170 doubtful species. He divides 26 of these species into 66 subspecies. A con- 

 siderable number of species has been described since the preparation of the manu- 

 script for this treatise. 



The monograph contains tables for the differentiation of the genera and species, 

 as well as the higher groups, and fairly complete sjTionomy under each species. The 

 systematic arrangement of the hosts of ticks with the list of the species of ticks found 

 thereon will be found very useful. This list is, of course, incomplete owing to the 

 man}' host records added in the last few years. Mention of the stages of ticks found 

 on each host would have been a valuable addition to this list. The specific descrip- 

 tions given are too brief in many cases to be satisfactory, and additional illustrations 

 would have added materially to the utility of the work. Descriptions of the immature 

 stages would also have been a valuable addition. 



The standing accorded a number of species by Neumann is questionable. But a 

 very few of these points, however, will be mentioned owing to the fact that these 

 matters have been cleared up in pubUcations, by various other authors, issued since 

 the manuscript of the paper under review was completed. Neumann's variety 

 inchoatas of Ixodes hexagonus is a sj'Tionym of /. canisuga Johnston as has been pointed 

 out by Banks. Dermacentor parumaperlus is without doubt a distinct species and 

 not a variety of Dermacentor variabilis. D- occidentalis is clearlj^ a distinct species 

 and not a variety of the European D. reticulatus. D. nigrolineatus Packard, as Mr. 

 Banks has pointed out, is a distinct species of Dermacentor and not a Hsemaphysalis 

 as considered by Neumann. There is no doubt that Packard's chordeilis is a valid 

 species of Hgemaphj'saUs. Neumann places the genus Boophilus as a synonym of 

 Margaropus. Since re-\dewing Part II of Nuttall and Warburton's monograph of 

 the Ixodoidea (Jourxal of Ecoxojiic Extomology, Vol 4 pp. 564-565) I have had 

 an opportunity of studying a good series of both sexes of Margaropus lounsburyi in 

 comparison with specimens of the North American fever tick. To say the least, 

 the question as to what generic names should be used for our North American fever 

 tick and other closely alhed forms is a debatable one. The females of annulatus and 

 lounsburyi do not seem to present good characters for separating them into two 

 genera. The males of the two forms, however, show striking differences. Nuttall 

 and Warburton and Donitz place annulatus in the genus Boophilus — the genus 

 estabUshed for this species bj^ Cooper Curtice in 1891 — and lounsburyi in the genus 

 Margaropus, while Neumann considers that both species belong to the same genus 

 (]\Iargaropus) . Banks holds the same view as Neumann. Many economic workers 

 will probably accept the ideas of each of these groups of systematists and if .some 

 unit}- of opinion is not secured we may expect to find the common use, in hterature, 

 of both generic names for the cattle tick. 



On the whole, the work under review will be found verj' useful and should be on 

 the shelves of everj^ student of this group of animals. 



F. C. BisHOPP. 



