ARGASID^. 



Flat body ; no dorsal shield ; head under cephalo-thorax ; usually eyeless ; 

 largely venomous. Argas Miniatus : Like bed-bug ; attacks at night, driv- 

 ing sitting birds from nests ; fasting has wrinkled or shagreened skin with 

 rows of pits. Distribution : S. United States, especially in nests of hens and 

 turkeys, also on ox. Causes anaemia, wasting and death. A. Refiexa : A. 

 of pigeons ; dart with two rows of teeth on each side. Distribution : France, 

 Italy, in dove cots. Attack young and old ; man may suffer. Cause anae- 

 mia and wasting. Reproduction apart from having animal host. Treat- 

 ment : A. Persicus : Attacks pigeons and men. A. Tholozani : Persian 

 sheep-tick; venomous. A. Fischeri ; A. Mauritianus ; A. Hermanni, in 

 Egypt ! -^- Moubata, in Angola ; A. Talaje, in Tropical America. 



With a flat body without scutum ; the head (capitulum) is con- 

 cealed beneath the cephalo-thorax and in common with the 

 hsemaphysalis they are usually destitute of eyes. They are blood- 

 . thirsty and often venomous. 



Argas Miniatus. Chicken Tick. Argas Americanus. 

 This tick looks like a bed-bug, like which it has nocturnal habits, 

 nourishing itself by sucking the blood of mammals and birds, 

 living in the nests of the latter, killing the sitting birds or driving 

 them to forsake their eggs. 



In both sexes when fasting the skin is wrinkled or shagreened 

 and bears very fine, short hairs : on the margins, dorsally and 

 ventrally, are quadrangular bodies bearing short hairs ; they show 

 beside numerous glistening pits mo.stly in rows radiating from the 

 centre of the body and usually symmetrical on the two sides. 

 Anus about the middle of the venter with 6 or 8 short bristles on 

 each side. Stigmata outside coxae IV, crescentic with concavity 

 postero-internally. Genital pore large, between coxae I and II. 

 Coxae of legs I to IV crowded together on antero-lateral part of 

 venter and very far forward. Tarsus becomes suddenly attenu- 

 ated near the end especially in I, giving a hunch-backed appear- 

 ance. Legs bear many stout bristles and especially the tarsi. 



Female. May be ii mm. long by 8.5 mm. broad. Mandibles 

 with internal apophysis transverse and pointed at both ends, 

 middle apophysis with terminal tooth turned outward, external 

 apophysis with two teeth at base and apex respectively. 



Dart (hypostome) bears at its apex on each side 4 small ter- 

 minal teeth, then 6 large teeth in two vertical rows so that they 



141 



