THE AUSTRALIAN CATTLE TICK. bt 
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE, NATURAL CONTROL, AND ARTIFICIAL CONTROL. 
These subjects are treated in detail in Bulletin 72 of the Bureau 
of Entomology and in Farmers’ Bulletin 378 of the United States 
Department of Agriculture. 
THE AUSTRALIAN CATTLE TICK. 
Margaropus annulatus australis (Fuller). 
The common name, Australian cattle tick, is: taken from the scien- 
tific name, the latter having been given because the type material 
.was collected in Australia. 
DESCRIPTIVE. 
Adult.—Males 2.5 by 1.25 mm. Females, unengorged, about 2.5 
by 1.25 mm.; engorged, 10 by 7.5 by 5 mm. to 12 by 8.5 by 6 mm. 
The coloration is very similar to that of annulatus proper. 
Nymph.—Unengorged, about 1.25 by 0.75 mm.; engorged, about 
3 by 2.75 mm. Color very similar to M. annulatus. Capitulum 
0.35 mm. long (from tip of hypostome to base of emargination of 
scutum); scutum 0.48 mm. long by 0.436 mm. wide. 
Larva.—Unengorged, about 0.46 by 0.36 mm.; engorged, about 
1.4 by 0.9mm. Color as in M. annulatus proper. Capitulum 0.152 
mm. long (from tip of palpi to base of emargination of scutum); 
scutum 0.275 mm. long by 0.356 mm. wide. 
Egg.—Ellipsoidal, dark brown, shining, smooth. The average size 
of 10 eggs measured was 0.531 by 0.406 mm. 
HOST RELATIONSHIP. 
The host relations of this variety are about the same as those of 
annulatus proper. Cattle are the principal hosts, but the horse, goat, 
sheep, dog, rabbit (Lepus cuniculus domesticus), and man (for the 
larvee) are reported as hosts by Rohr (1909), who has studied this 
variety in Brazil. Lahille (1905) reports that in Argentina he has 
found this tick on horses as well as cattle and has taken it once from 
the hide of a marsh deer, Blastocerus dichotomus Illiger (B. palu- 
dosus Desmarest). Newstead (1909), who has studied the ticks of 
Jamaica, states that in several instances mature specimens of both 
sexes were found on the dog. He reports it to be a general beliet in 
Jamaica that the larva of this variety will attack any vertebrate ani- 
mal that comes its way, but fails to present instances. He fur- 
ther states that the larva is a great pest to man. The habit of the 
larva of attaching to man as reported by Newstead and by Rohr 
appears to be similar to that of Margaropus annulatus decoloratus and 
unlike M. annulatus proper, which as a larva never attaches to a 
