44 JOURNAL OP ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 1 



Life History and Habits of the Genera and Species. — The life 

 history and habits of the Argasidae are quite different from those of 

 the Ixodidae. The Argasids are represented by the two genera Argas 

 and OrnitJiodoros, the species being comparatively few in number. 

 Some of these, known as man-attacking ticks, have had the reputation 

 from the effect of their bites of producing critical conditions. Liv- 

 ingstone, in the account of his travels in Africa, speaks of the ofttimes 

 serious symptoms and occasional fatal result following their attack. 

 Lounsbury in the investigation of this effect permitted specimens of 

 Argas persicus and OrnitJiodoros savignyi (the Tampan Tick), two 

 species implicated, to feed upon his arm, and concludes that while they 

 may be productive of considerable irritation and their penetration 

 serve as entering point for some of the abscess-forming bacteria, as 

 Streptococcus pyogenes, etc., yet otherwise their direct effect is harm- 

 less. They may, however, transmit disease in both man and the lower 

 animals. Button and Todd have shown Ornithodoros savignyi var 

 caecus (mouhata) Neum. to be the agent in the transmission of a 

 spirillum which produces a disease of man known as human tick 

 fever. This may account for the reputation that they have borne in 

 Africa. 



In the genus Argas the nocturnal habit is developed. They remain 

 hid away by day, coming out from their places of hiding by night to 

 find the fowl host and engorge with blood. The genus is represented 

 in this country by two species, sanchezi and miniatus. Of the former 

 species, known as the Adobe Tick from its habit of frequenting adobe 

 houses, little or nothing is known as relating to its life history. Argas 

 miniatus, commonly known as the Fowl Tick, is a species very similar 

 in structure, life history and habits to that of the old world Argas per- 

 sicus, and is probably at most but a variety of that species. The life 

 history and habits have been carefully worked out by Lounsbury in 

 South Africa and the similarity of our species in life historj^ and hab- 

 its has been determined by the writer. Argas miniatus is of import- 

 ance because of its attack upon poultry; in sections of Southwestern 

 Texas it has made profitable poultry raising impossible. As a larva, 

 this tick attaches to a fowl, preferably beneath the wings, remains at- 

 tached for five or six days, becomes engorged, and, a few hours before 

 dropping, flattens out and assumes the typical Argas shape. As men- 

 tioned in the discussion of host relationship, it has been found that 

 the larvge drop only at night, at a time when the fowl host is upon the 

 roost and where it will be near the host when ready to engorge again. 

 In summer a period of four or more days passes before molting of the 

 engorged larvae takes place and the eight-legged nymphs appear. The 

 second engorgement, always at night, lasts but a few hours at the 



