SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL KEPORT. 



438 



males, however, have remained perfectly distinct. Some specimens of 

 ticks in our collection (B. A. I. Coll. 2997) taken at Boston from Vene- 

 zuelan cattle, also B. A. I. Coll. 2977-2979, from Mandalay, Prone, and 

 Shongwa Districts, India, agree with the Porto Rican forms in the two 

 most important characters — eight rows of teeth on hypostome and 

 presence of a tail in male — while no differences in other characters 

 have been noticed. 



At the Bureau Experiment Station, Dr. Schroeder has transmitted 

 Texas fever l)y means of the Porto Rican tick. 



Lignieres (1900), in connection with his discussion of bovine 

 malaria (Texas fever) in Argentina, mentions (p. 92) and figures (pi. 

 XI, fig. 1) on the posterior extremity of the male a prolongation 

 which he interprets as a penis. This is quite evidently the same as 

 the caudal appendage of B. australis. Lignieres erroneously sup- 

 poses the Argentine form to be identical with our North American 

 species. Apparently, Lignieres found two rows of teeth on each half 

 of the hypostome of the hexapod larva, three rows on each half in 

 the nymph, and four rows in the adult female and male. Thus the 

 presence of the tail in the male and eight rows of denticles in adult 

 males and females would seem to indicate that the Argentine tick is 

 identical with the Australian, Porto Rican, Cuban, and Venezuelan. 



Canestrini's description of Rhipiceplialus inicTojpla is not accessible 

 to us, but from the fact that Neumann (1897) has considered it identical 

 with his caudatus^ while Birula says that it is very closely related to 

 his calcaratits^ the possibilit}^ does not appear to be excluded that 

 australis and micropla are specifically identical. This view gains in 

 probability when we recall that micropla comes from Paraguay. 



The Blue Tick op South Africa {Boophilus decoloratus) 

 (Figures 152, 153c, 154cZ, 155.) 



Specific diagnosis. — Boophilus: Male. — Pale brown and almost transparent, some- 

 times dark brown. Length, 2 to 3 mm. Labium with six rows of teeth. Anal 

 shields, four, of the usual form, but more chitinous than those of annulatus, and pro- 

 longed into strong conical points. Abdomen ending in a strong chitinous caudal 

 appendage. 



Female. — Body (when young) oval, sides slightly convex, posterior portion scarcely 

 broader than anterior in specimens 2.2 mm. long by 1.3 mm. broad; when replete 

 may attain 10 to 12 mm. in length, 6 to 8 mm. in breadth; color, uniform slate blue. 

 Scutum of young longer than broad, rounded sides, punctations very superficial 



^ Synonymy and Bibliography. 



1844: Rhipicephalus decoloratus Koch, 1844, p. 239. — Idem, 1847, pp. 134, 135, Tav. 



XXI, fig. 110.— Neumann, 1897, pp. 414, 419.— Fuller, 1899, pp. 389-394, 

 figs. 3.— LouNSBURY, 1900, pp. 29-32, pi. iii, fig. 1. 



1899: ^ ^ Rhicejjhalus decoloratus Koch " of Fuller, 1899, p. 392 (misprint for Rhipi- 

 cephalus decoloratus). 



1901: Boophilus decoloratus (Koch) Stiles & Hassall, 1901, pp. 2, 3. — Salmon & 

 Stiles, 1901, pp. 433-437, figs. 152, 153c, 154d, 155. 



