622 MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 



fecundated. The male tick on finding a host at once attaches itself ; the 

 femile wandars ab:mt until a m lie suitible for copulation is found ; the 

 male is not attractive until it has been on the host for at least five davs. 



Eyes absent. Capitulum long, basis capituli rectangular with humps 

 on lateral borders. Second segment of palp without projections or humps 

 externally. Body sub-circular, at least in the male. Scutum often 

 marked with light spots. Spiracles usually triangular with rounded 

 angles. Usually eleven festoons present, at least in the male. Coxa IV 

 of male a little larger than the others. (Neumann) 



Ticks of the genus Aponomma are characterized by the flat shape 

 of their bodies, an adaptation to their habits, enabling them to pass 

 under the scales of reptiles, which are their principal hosts. Almost 

 every snake in tropical countries harbours one or more species of 

 Aponomma; in Madras A. gervaisi is extremely common on the rat 

 snake, Zamenis mucociis. 



Neumann gives the following key to the species of Aponomma. 



NEUMANN'S KEY TO THE SPECIES OF APONOMMA 



MALES 



1. Scutum without marginal groove ...... f .. 2 



Scutum with marginal groove .......... 8 



2. Body nearly as broad as long .......... 3 



Body much broader than long . . . --, . . . . tranversale. 



(South Africa.) 



3. Scutum with numerous punctations ......... 4 



Scutum smooth with a few superficial indistinct punctations . laeve. 



(Congo ; German East Africa ; Cape Colony.) 



4. Scutum with green or yellow markings 5 



Scutum without green or yellow markings .... . -^. . 6 



5. Scutum with five green spots gervaisi. 



(India; Burma; Ceylon; Java; Sumatra; Togo Land.) 

 Scutum with nine green or yellowish spots . . . . exornatum. 



(Natal ; Transvaal ; Senegal ; Congo.) 



6. Tarsi II, III, and IV with a dorsal sub-terminal hump; scutum 



with deep punctations ...... . . . . 7 



Tarsi with a dorsal hump ; scutum light at the sides with 



superficial punctations . .. . . .- . ... ochraceum. 



(German East Africa ; Zanzibar.) 



7. Hypostome with eight rows of teeth ; Coxa I witli a spur as 



long as broad ,"'.'.' t- . . . . . ecinctum. 



(Philippine Islands.) 



