414 



BUEEAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



drastic measures against them, but, as a rule, if any bland oil, 

 such as linseed or olive oil, is poured into the ear, the ticks will soon 

 vacate; they are not killed by this treatment, hence every tick caught 

 should be crushed in order to prevent increase. 



Family Ixodidae^ Murray, 1877. 



Family diagnosis. — Ixodoidea: Scutum present. Capitulum terminal. Digit of 

 mandibles provided with two apophyses; internal apophysis generally short, termi- 

 nated by one to four equal or unequal teeth; external apophysis elongate, parallel to 

 digit, bearing on its free border two to five teeth, which increases in size from the 

 distal to the proximal. Palpi free, second and third articles valvate on their median 

 surface; fourth article very short in adult, as tactile appendage, situated in an infero- 

 terminal depression of the third. Legs a little unequal, pair II shortest, pair IV 

 longest; femur and tibia presenting pseudo-articulation near proximal end, except in 

 pair I, where the pseudo-articulation is distal; tarsus with pulvillum. Stigmata pos- 

 terior of the coxae IV, Genital pore median at height of coxse I to III; two sexual 

 grooves extend from here posteriorly, more or less divergent, toward posterior margin. 

 Sexual dimorphism very marked. 



Male. — Usually smaller than female, flatter, often of less regularly oval contour, 

 anterior extremity being much straighter than posterior; dorsal shield covers entire 

 dorsal surface or all but a marginal band; posterior margin ordinarily divided into 

 eleven quadrangular festoons, distributed between dorsal extremity of the two stig- 

 mata, and often extending under the ventral surface. These represent in some cases 

 marginal shields, the number and form of which are often variable. 



Female. — At first flat, later may become very thick, dorsal shield confined to 

 anterior part of animal, remains comparatively small. Capitulum with two sym- 

 metrical porose areas, not found in larvae, nymphs, or males. 



Type genus. — Ixodes Latreille, 1796. 



Most of the ticks described to date belong to this family, which may 

 be divided into two subgroups, ranked by some authors as " families," 

 by other authors as "tribes." The most natural course to follow is 

 to call them subfamilies, under the names Ixodinse and Rhipicephalinae. 



^Synonymy and Bibliography. 



1834: Fam. /rodei (French Ixodes) Duges, 1834a, pp. 14, 19-20.— Idem, 1834c, pp. 33-35. 



1859: Fam. Ixodides Gervais & van Beneden, 1859, pp. 460, 461. 



1877: Fam. Ixodldx Murray, 1877, pp. 185-204.— Canestrini, 1890, p. 530.— Idem, 

 1892, p. 581.— Idem, 1897, pp. 468, 469.— Trouessart, 1892, p. 22.— Salmon & 

 Stiles, 1901, pp. 414-478. [See also Canestrini, 1890, p. 482, and Troues- 

 sart, 1891, pp. 295, 297, 302.] 



1877: Fam. Ixodini Canestrini & Fanzago, 1877, pp. 178-192.— Canestrini, 1890, 

 pp. 475-529. [See also Trouessart, 1891, p. 307.] 



1880: Tribe Ixodides Megnin, 1880, pp. 120-132. 



1885: Subfam. Ixodidx Berlese, 1885, p. 131. 



1886: Tribe Ixodines Railliet, 1886, pp. 495-499.— Neumann, 1888, pp. 89-95.— Idem, 

 1892a, pp. 93-100. 



1892: Subfam. Ixodinx Trouessart, 1892, pp. 38, 47.— Railliet, 1893, pp. 704-714.— 

 Neumann, 1896, p. 2.— Idem, 1897, pp. 324-420.— Idem, 1899, pp. 107-294.— 

 AVard, 1900a, pp. 196, 199-205.— Idem, 1900"b, pp. 435-437. [See also 

 Trouessart, 1891, p. 307; misquotation ior Ixodidse.'] 



1892: Tribe Ixodinx Neumann, 1892b, pp. 96-104. 



1892: Group Antistom.ata Marx, 1892, pp. 234-236. 



