ARGAS PERSICUS 371 



caused much annoyance, I am told, to the worshippers ; the ticks 

 falling down from the roof, where they were living, derived from the 

 numerous pigeons that breed in the towers. This acarus has 

 enormous powers of vitality, living without food for months at 

 a time. F. V. T.] 



Argas persicus, Fischer de Waldheim, 1824. 



Of oval form and brownish-red colour. The male measures 4 5 

 mm. in length by 3 mm. in breadth ; the female 710 mm. in length 

 by 5 6 mm. in breadth. It frequents the entire north-west 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 treat- 

 ment of the wound or its invasion by bacteria. 1 



[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 Megnin.) 

 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 50 to 120 are deposited at once. 

 Four weeks seem a necessary period to intervene between visits 



1 Oken, L., " Ueb. gift. Milben in Persien " (I sis, 1818, p. 1567^; Fischer de Wald- 

 heim G " Not. sur I' Acarus de Perse " (Mem. soc. natur. Moscou., 1823, vi., No. 30), 

 Ann! sc.'nat., 1824, ii.. P- 77; Heller, C., " Z. Anat. d. Arg. pers." (Stzgsb. d K. k. 

 Acad. d. Wiss. Wien ; math-nat. Cl., 1858, xxx., p. 297); Fntsch, G., Ueb d. gift, 

 Wirkg d Aro, pers " (Stzgsb. d. Ges. nat. Frde., Berlin, 1875, p. 61); Laboulbene, A., 

 et P Megnin " M'cm. sur les Argas de Perse " (Journ. de I'anat., 1882, xvm., p. 317) ; 

 Megnin, P., " Exp. sur V action nocive des Argas de Perse " (C. R. soc. biol, Pans, 1882, 

 p. 305) ; Tholozan, J. D., " Des phenom. morb. prod, par la piqfire .... 

 de Perse " (ibid., p. 15); Neumann, G. L., 1896, p. 7. 



