ARGAS BRUMPTI 507 



and north-east of Persia (the gerib-gez or malleh of the Persians, the 

 miana bug of travellers). It lives concealed in houses and attacks 

 man at night to suck his blood. Its bite is much dreaded, but the 

 serious results may probably be attributed to unsuitable treatment of 

 the wound or its invasion by bacteria. 



[This tick, sometimes called the tampan and wandlius in South 

 Africa, is mainly a fowl parasite. Fowls and ducks frequently die 

 under its attack, particularly young ones, death being due to loss 

 of blood. This tick remains attached to its host during its larval 

 stage for about five days ; it then leaves and moults in concealment. 

 In its subsequent stages it visits its host by night and remains for 

 about an hour only, during which time it distends itself fully with 

 blood. As a nymph it moults twice, not once as do the cattle ticks. 

 This tick and other Argas become larger with each moult, but retain 

 their same general appearance. The female visits the host every now 

 and then, and, between, deposits eggs in sheltered crevices. About 

 fifty to 120 are deposited at once. Four weeks seems a necessary 

 period to intervene between visits to the host, and the interval may 

 be extended to upwards of a year according to Lounsbury. 1 



[It is found in the Sudan, where Balfour 

 has found granules derived from the seg- 

 mentation of spirilla in their digestive tract. 

 Fantham and Hindi have confirmed this. It 

 has been assumed that these granules carry 

 infection. 



[This so-called Persian tick, the miana, 

 which is such a scourge to travellers in Persia, 

 appears to infest the huts of natives in that 

 country. It has been sent me from Quetta, 

 where it has invaded houses to such an extent FlG - &* Argas persists: 



, .. ,, ,, , ventral aspect. 7/1. (After 



the natives cannot live in them. The virulence Megnin.) 

 of its bite is probably due to the tick trans- 

 mitting fever germs from natives, probably inured, to strangers, who 

 would be susceptible. F. V. T.] 



Argas brumpti, Neumann. 



[Found in Somaliland, by Brumpt, and in the Sudan. This tick 

 attacks man as well as wild animals and produces a painful swelling 

 according to King, 2 but as pointed out by that naturalist it probably 

 relies on other than human food. F. V. T.] 



1 " Report of Government Entomologist, Cape of Good Hope, for 1899," 1900, p. 33. 



2 " Fourth Report Wellcome Res. Labs.," 1911, p. 128. 

 3 2 



