116 



AraALS OF THE Teansvaal Museum. 



brightly. The grooves on the shield are almost obsolete^ and the fine 

 23nnctuations are very fine and superficial and few in nnniber. The 

 large punctuations are very large and distributed in four irregular 

 longitudinal rows. These rows may vary in continuity, and the relative 

 number and size of punctuations, both large and small, may vary 

 considerably. The anal plates are triangular, with posterior edge 

 Tounded and inner edge concave {VIII, /'). 



Ji. iiitcits is considered by some workers as oiily a variety of 

 append iruhil us. The punctuations on the dorsal shield are numerous, the 

 small ones are very fine and superficial, but the large ones are confined 

 to the margins and irregularly distributed in the anterior re^^ion. The 

 .anal plates are semi-lunate in shape and pointed at l)oth ends. 



B. Junulatus lies between saiir/uiiieus and siiiius. The males are 

 ■smaller than simus, but almost equal to saiuiuineus. The small punctua- 

 tions of the shield are larger than in either of these species, more numerous 

 .and evenh' distril)uted over the wliole surface. Tlie large punctuations are 

 most numerous in the anterior ])osition, l)ut four irregular lines extend 

 longitudinally over the shiehl. Tlie anal plates are triangular and 

 ■concave on the posterior margin. f(n'ming two sharp teeth on posterior 

 angles {VIII, (/). 



li. (luff oil'} is very similar to li. appeiidiculafus and R. fuiiufafus. It differs 

 from the former, however, in the l)ody not projecting* beyond the lateral 

 margins of the dorsal shield ; the fine punctuations are more evenly dis- 

 tri1)ute(l over the surface of the shield, and larger than the fine puuctua- 

 tiou of (I ppcndiculafus ; tlie jiosterior angles of the base of the rostrum are 

 more jU'omir.ent than in ii ppcudlcidafus. Tlie anal plates are not s])indle 

 sha])e(l, a^ in appeiidiculafus, ljut l)roadly triangular, with the inner angle 

 of tlu' base very prolonged and sharp. In funulatus the two basilar angles 

 .are of al)Our equal length and the plates are not so wide. 



Females of Ehipicephalus. (See Plafe X.) 



The females of this genus are much more difficult to distinguish 

 than the males. The characters most used are the shields, as with the 

 males, and the base of the rostrum. 



Based on shape of shields, Ave may divide the species into two groups, 

 (1) those with shields longer than wide, and (2) those with shields as wide 

 or ])ractically as wide as long. Class one includes sanguineus, with the 

 doubtful species punctatissimus and appendicufatus, although the last one 

 is not always apparently longer than wide. The remaining species come 

 under class two. Dividing the species on the character of the eyes, we 

 find that evertsi and oculafus have spherical eyes, situated in deep orbits, 

 while the remaining species liave flat unorl)ited eyes. In crertsi and 

 capensis the punctuations on the shields are so numerous as to produce 

 a shagreened effect, while the remainder of the species have the punctua- 

 tions distinct and not coalescing. 



E. everfsi is easily recognised from its 1)road nvnl shield, orl)ited eves, 

 and shagreened surface, as well as by its safPron-coloured legs (/X, a). 



H. oculatus does not have the heart-shaped shield shao^reened, but 

 the eyes are orbited, setting it off at once as distinct from the other 

 species {IX, 1)). The punctuations are mostly fine and distinct, with a few 



