170 



Annals of the Tkansvaal Museum. 



A NEW SPECIES OF TICK FROM THE TRANSVAAL 



By Professor L. G. Neumann, of Toulouse. 



EHIPICENTOR YICINUS, ?i. sp. 



Male. — Body sub-oval, wider near the posterior third, slightly 

 constricted behind the eyes, 6 mm. long (rostrum included), 3.2 mm. 

 wide near the posterior third. Dorsal shield slightly convex, shining, 

 chestnut brown in colour, without spots, a narrow margin of the 

 abdomen showing beyond the shield, in the posterior two thirds; 

 cervical grooves deep and wide, spreading out widely, marginal 

 groove commencing behind the eyes, deep, rather close to ihe 

 margin, terminating in the groove between the two last festoons ; 

 punctuations large, sub-equal, not very numerous, very distant from 

 each other, arranged in lines near the lateral margins, one to two 

 punctuations on each festoon ; more numerous in front of the eyes ; 

 in front of the festoon a crescent-shaped depression, marked by fine 

 punctuations. Eyes fiat, yellowish, marginal, three small punctua- 

 tions forming a border on the inner side. Wnitral surface reddish 

 yellow, with a few very short hairs. Anal groove semi-circular, 

 opening to the front, supported behind by a single ano-margmal 

 groove which terminates at the median festoon ; genital grooves 

 diverging widely l)ehind coxae IV; ventral festoons well marked, 

 wider than long, no groove limiting them in front. No caudal 

 prolongation. Peritremes of a medium size, comma shaped, with 

 the prolongation extending postero-dorsally. Rostrum 0.92 mm. 

 long (from the tip of the palpi to the point of the j^osterior angles). 

 Dorsal surface of the base twice as wide as long, lateral angles near 

 the anterior third, very sharp and projecting, the posterior angles 

 prominent but not spiniform, prolonged in front by a slight 

 projection, which l)ounds a depression on the dorsal surface almost 

 equal to a third of the width. Hypostoine wide, slightly spatulate, 

 six rows of strong teeth present. Palpi as wide as long, convex on 

 their external edges ; the first article scarcely visible, the second 

 nearly twice as wide as long, prolonged in a strong, retrograde spine 

 on its postero-ventral margin, and bearing a fringe of whitish hairs 

 on the inner ventral margin ; the third article without ventral spines ; 

 the fourth article small and hidden in the pit of the third article. 

 Legs strong. Coxae I as long as the dorsal surface of the rostrum, 

 divided into two strong, sub-equal contiguous spines which form 

 three-quarters of their length ; coxae II and III divided on their 

 posterior margins into two flat, sharp spines, which are as wide as 

 long; coxae IV large, almost as wide as long, provided on their 

 posterior margins with two long, narrow sub-equal spines, well 

 separated from each other, the inner one a little larger, not as long 

 as the coxa. Second article of the first pair of legs provided near 

 the distal extremity with a spine, dorsal, retrograde, flat, aliform, 

 and as wide as long. The third, fourth, and flfth articles short and 

 thick, but more slender than those of R. hicornis. Tarsi small, 

 sloping at the distal end, with a small spur and weak claws. 



