229 



Drake-Brockman (R.E.). Some Notes on the Bionomics of OmitJw- 

 dorus savignyi in British Somaliland. — Bull. Entom. Researai, 

 London, vi, no. 2, September 1915, pp. 195-196. 

 In Somaliland Ornilliodoms savignyi is found in the soil in or around 

 the huts on the outskirts of coastal towns, especially in the more 

 squalid and insanitary areas. In the interior it frequents most camps 

 of long-standing inhabited by man and domestic animals. The ticks 

 are extremely connnon in the dusty soil surrounding wells and 

 waterholes. 0. savignyi is capable of living for months in the soil 

 without feeding on blood ; it burrows to a depth of from half to one 

 inch, lying dormant until the ground is disturbed by man or beast. 

 Man, camels, cattle, ponies, mules, sheep and goats are equally attacked. 

 It seldom climbs higher than the ankles in man and the hocks in 

 animals. The time required for a blood meal varies frorn 20 to 60 

 minutes. As soon as it is engorged with blood and before withdrawing 

 the biting apparatus, the tick discharges a fluid through the anus- 

 which moistens the skin in the vicinity of the puncture. This fluid is 

 the cause of subsequent irritation, which varies in different individuals. 

 Various methods suggested for destroying the ticks have little practical 

 value owing to their wide distribution. In confined areas, sach as the 

 vicinity of wells, the best and cheapest method to adopt is to coyer 

 the whole infested area with dr}' grass and brushwood, after harrowing 

 the surface, and then setting fire to the grass all round simultaneously, 

 so that the fire will burn towards the centre. Spraying with antiseptics 

 is useless, since a two-hours' immersion of immature and full-grown 

 ticks in solutions of 1 in 500 carbolic acid and corrosive sublimate 

 failed to destroy them. Immersion in a 5 per cent, solution of lysol 

 for half an hour caused the death of some of the ticks. If 0. savignyi 

 is touched with a drop of turpentine it dies at once. The author has 

 taken advantage of this fact to recommend all native soldiers with 

 bare feet, when entering a locality where the ticks swarm and are 

 infected with the spirochaete of relapsing fever, to rub their feet and 

 ankles with turpentine. This is considered to be a useful prophylactic 

 measure. 



Ludlow (C. S.). The Synonymy of Anopheles chrislophersi, Theo., and 

 A. indefinita, Ludl. — Bull Entom. Research, London, vi, pt. 2, 

 September 1915, pp. 155-157. 



This paper is intended to correct the synonymy of these two species 

 of Anopheles. According to Edwards, Myzomyia funesta, Giles, and 

 M. flavirostris, Ludl., are both identical with Anopheles Christopher si, 

 Theo. Banks has recently described the species as A. febrifer [see 

 this Review, Ser. B, iii, p. 65]. A note by Mr. F. W. Edwards states 

 that the name which has priority is A. minimus, Theo. 



With regard to Anopheles rossi var. indefinita, Ludl., Edwards now 

 states that the view that the true rossi does not occur further east 

 than India and Ceylon is no longer tenable. He has seen examples 

 of A. rossi from the Philippines and of the var. indefinita from Bengal. 



Ludlow (C. S.). A Question of Synonymy.— Military Surgeon, Chicago, 

 xxxvi no. 6, June 1915, pp. 505-508. 

 This note discusses the same questions as those in the foregoing 

 paper. 



