Afnals of the Transvaal Museum. 81 



hairs, distributed on tlie circumference, four at the truncated ante "ior 

 end, two pairs of sternal hairs; seven hairs around and at a certain 

 distance from the anal ring; a strong hair on the anterior edge of each 

 anal valve. Rosfruvi elongate: only its base covered by border of 

 the body; the rest projecting anteriorly beyond the body; 

 mandibles similar to those of the nymph, but the inner apophysis 

 inserted lower down, near the middle of the digit, as in the male; 

 hypostome (//, t) narrow, long, pointed at the extremity, armed 

 on each half near the tip with four longitudinal rows of teeth, the 

 inner rows composed of weak, the outer rows of strong and sharp 

 teeth, below these two rows of large teeth one of which is marginal 

 and formed of ten to twelve teeth, extending to the base of the 

 hypostome ; palpi slender and free ; the first article a little longer 

 than Avide, the other three twice as long as wide, the fourth small, 

 cylindrical, with four or five terminal spines; the second and third 

 with four dentate hairs on their external borders ; four short hairs on 

 the base of the rostrum and placed as those on the nymph. J^cfjx 

 almost equal in length; Coxae almost contiguous, very tar from tlie 

 median line, elongate; second article as long as wide; the other four 

 cylindrical; the tarsi longest, similar to those of the nymph; the 

 hairs semi-denticulate, on all the articles. 



Hosts. — Bats: Mincopie rus scJi reihersi, (Pretoria), \ cs()cni (jo 

 yi Ijisfrell us, PJecofiis (iiirifus, Yesperugo kiiJili, V. ?ioctuh(, Myotiis 

 'mm'inus, Rh hiolophus clirf/sifs, B. Tii ppocre pis , BracJiyofus dassyjie- 

 Quus, Sy not IIS J)(i rhacfelhis ; Man. 



Hdhifnt. — England, France, Egypt, Tunis, Cape Colony, 

 Transvaal. As this tick occurs in Egypt and also in South Africa 

 the probability is that it will be found in other parts of Africa also. 



This tick is not often seen, probably because the hiding places 

 of l)ats are seldom searched for them. I feel sure, however, that 

 they are very common thioughout South Africa, and natives have 

 told me that they have found them under l)ark of trees in the Inish. 



Out of several hundreds of specimens which I have collected I 

 have found only one adult female. The life history seems to be very 

 much like that of A. pers/cus; larval ticks can be found in numbers, 

 in all stages of engorgement on bats. When a house becomes a hiding 

 place for bats, these ticks may become so numerous as to cause con- 

 siderable annoyance to the occupiers, for to those sensitive to insect 

 bites, the bites of these ticks cause considerable pain and swelling of 

 the portions of the body bitten. In Tunis it has been found that this 

 species may transmit a spirillum of bats. 



AEGAS TEANSGAEIEPINITS, WHITE. 



At gas f ransgarie pinus , White (1846). 



Argas hoclu, iSTeumann (1901). 



At gas transgarie pinus , White (Neumann, 1906). 



Male. — Body fiat, thin, in a wide oval, almost as wide in front 

 as behind; length 7.5 mm., width 6 mm.; ])rownish red, legs and 

 rostrum lighter. Dorsal surface convex, excavated along the edge, 

 which is raised ; integument finely chagreened. On each surface a 



