GENUS ARGAS LATREILLE. 15 



duce death, ard the early travelers in that country give long and 

 exaggerated accounts of the creature. 



I have seen two species from our countrj^, which may be tabulated 

 as below : 



Table of the Species. 



Auterior tibue and metatarsi each about three times as long as broad, 



iidniat us. 



Auterior tibife aud metatarsi each plainly less than three times as long as 



broad brcvipcH. 



Argas miniatus Koch. 



Dark red-brown, legs pale yellowish, body nearly twice as long as 

 broad, broader behind than in front, broadest behind the middle, 

 tapering, and almost pointed in front, the margin often slightly 

 upturned, except behind; surface densely and irregularly scarred 

 and pitted, the smooth scars of varying sizes and more numerous on 

 sides and behind, in latter part arranged somewhat in rows, a median 

 row and tAvo or more lateral less distinct; ventral surface scarred as 

 above, most densely around the sides; palpi very short and lacking 

 more than their length from reaching the anterior border; on ros- 

 trum at base of palpi is a transverse row of four bristles; the stig- 

 mal plate, which is scarcely distinct from the sitrrounding tissue, is 

 a raised spot above the coxa IV and with a curved anterior rim. 

 Legs (PI. I, figs. 1, 2) rather slender; tarsi barely longer than pre- 

 ceding joints, and suddenly narrowed at tip; the legs have very fcAV 

 hairs; coxa' II, III, and IV are contiguous and radiate, coxa I is dis- 

 tinctly separate from the others, and at the sides of the beak. 



The male differs but little from the female; it is usually smaller; 

 the male genital pore is not nearly as broad as the vulva, and is situ- 

 ated farther back, and behind it is a short curved groove each side. 



Length of swollen female, 8 to 10 mm. 



This species is a common enemy of poultry in the Southwest, from 

 southern Texas to California. It occurs, also, on other animals, 

 rather rarely on cattle. Doctors Stiles and Salmon have described 

 the hexapod larva of this species. I have followed Neumann in 

 uniting Argas sanchezi Duges to this species, as the slight difference 

 in the structure of the mandibles is not constant. 



I have seen specimens from Austin, Georgetown, El l*aso, Patton, 

 San Antonio, Brackettsville, and Colorado City, Tex.; from Merced 

 and Eiverside, Cal. ; from Deming, N. Mex., and from Catalina 

 Springs, Ariz. 



Argas brevipes n. sp. 



This species is similar in shape and general appearance to the 

 connnon A. miniatus. It differs in the much shorter legs, as may be 



