564 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol, 4 



Reviews 



Ticks, a Monograph of the Ixodoidea, by G. H. Nuttall, Cecil. 

 Warburton, W. F. Cooper and L. E. Robinson, Cambridge Uni- 

 versity Press, Part II, Ixodidse, pages XIX+ 105-348, May, 1911. 



We are glad to announce the appearance of Part II of the above work, Part I of 

 which was issued October 1908. Dr. G. H. F. Nuttall and Cecil Warburton appear 

 as authors of this part. As a separate fascicle of this monograph, a very complete 

 bibhography, compiled by G. H. F. Nuttall, L. E. Robinson and W. F. Cooper, has 

 also recently been issued (July, 1911). 



This monograph will be found indispensable to students of this group of animals. 

 On the whole, Part II is rather an improvement on Part I of this work. The arrange- 

 ment is well adapted to the working Entomologist and for the most part the species 

 are well described and illustrated. This part is divided into two sections. Section 

 I deals with the classification of ticks and Section II with the genus Ixodes. In the 

 first section is given a good historical review of the classification of ticks. The authors 

 adopt the classification proposed by Warburton in 1907 with the addition of the 

 genus Rhipicentor, which was established by Nuttall and Warburton in 1908. The 

 classification proposed appears to the writer to be more satisfactory than any other 

 yet set forth. It is very similar to those classifications proposed by Banks and 

 Donitz. The discovery of a form (Rhipicentor) which is intermediate between 

 Rhipicephalus and Dermacentor, as pointed out by the writers, would tend to favor 

 grouping Dermacentor and Rhipicephalus close together rather than placing Der- 

 macentor near Amblyomma, as suggested by Banks. The use of subfamily, tribal 

 and group names which are not based upon the oldest genera included thereunder 

 would seem open to criticism on account of not being in accord with the rules of zoo- 

 logical nomenclature. The authors have followed Donitz in suppressing the genera 

 Eschatocephalus, CeratLxodes and Neumanniella and in recognizing Margaropus 

 and Boophilus as distinct genera. The reestablishment of the genus BcophUus is 

 undoubtedly correct; hence the Texas fever tick should receive the old mane Boo- 

 philus annulatus. The genus Aponomma is considered a subgenus of Amblyomma. 

 The generic diagnosis accompanied by figures illustrating the principal generic 

 characters is a convenient arrangement. The author and date of establishment of 

 each of the genera would in this connection have been a useful addition. 



The first portion of Section II deals with the species of Ixodes systematically; 

 the second portion (24 pages) presents some facts regarding the biologies of the group. 



The definition of the terms used in description and classification of ticks will be 

 found helpful, especially to those who are not thoroughly familiar with the termi- 

 nology used in connection with ticks. The key presented for the separation of species 

 of the genus Ixodes appears to have some minor objections, but on the whole it works 

 satisfactorily. Complete synonomy, iconography and references to the literature 

 appear under each species. The immature stages of several species are described 

 and figured for the first time. The descriptions of both larvae and nymph are inade- 

 quate in some cases. This may be largely excused, however, when we consider the 

 difficulty of finding good characters to separate the species in these stages. It would 

 appear that the authors have gone rather too far in the description of immature stages 

 of ticks as belonging to certain species when they were simply collected with the adults 

 of those species and not bred from determined females. As an illustration of the 

 danger to be met with in considering all stages foimd on a host together as belonging 



