SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPOET. 



435 



This specimen, which is now in the Berlin Museum, was recently 

 restudied by Neumann, who described it as follows: 



Female. — Body flat, oval, a little convex at the sides, scarcely broader posteriorly 

 than anteriorly; length, 2.2 mm.; breadth, 1.3 mm. Scutum longer than broad, 

 rounded at the sides, with very superficial and very fine punctations, brilliant, yellow 

 in its median portion, red on the sides, lateral of the anterior grooves; eyes red. 

 Dorsal surface of the abdomen yellowish white, glabrous, redder in the middle, and, 

 through its transparency, allowing the blackish ramifications of the intestines to be 

 seen; lateral margin elevated, without marginal groove; posterior festoons slightly 

 apparent. Ventral surface yellowish, with blackish spots [showing through] because 

 of its transparency; anus reddish. Capitulum red, with a very short, broad base, 

 the posterior angles barely projecting, the anterior and posterior margins equal, as 

 also are the antero-lateral and postero-lateral margins. Palpi short, the second and 

 third articles angular laterally. Legs rather short, yellowish white; coxse contigu- 

 ous; coxse I with two short teeth, the others like the type; tarsi short, with two 

 consecutive spurs; pulvillum short, barely attaining a third of the length of the claws. 



Habitat. — South Africa. 



This species is more closely related to Rh. annulatus than to any other, but insuf- 

 ficiently determined.^ 



Fuller (1899) has recently determined the Blue Tick of South Africa 

 as identical with Koch's I^h. decolorattis (see above, p. 430); while 

 Lounsbury (1900, pp. 29-32) accepts this determination as correct and 

 gives the following account of its life habits: 



The Blue Tick {Rhipicephalus decoloratus Koch) . — This is the most abundant and the 

 most widely distributed tick in the Colony. It takes its popular name from the color 

 of the distended female, which is a displeasing bluish gray. The small size of this 

 species, its almost colorless, slender legs, the color of the female, and a small but 

 distinct tail-like projection from the body of the male are characters which serve for 

 its ready separation from our other common ticks. The distended female measures 



rostrothlichem Anstriche, Mundschild und Taster dunkler gelb, beide mit briiun- 

 lichen Kanten. Die Unterseite und die Beine hellgelb. 



Ein Exemplar. 



Vaterland: Siidafrika. 



^Femelle. — Corps plat, ovale, a cotes peu con vexes, a peine plus large en arriere 

 qu'en avant, long de 2mm2, large de lmm3. Ecusson plus long que large, a cotes 

 arrondis, a ponctuations tres superficielles et tres fines, brillant, jaune dans sa partie 

 mediane, roux sur les cotes, en dehors des sillons anterieurs; yeux roux. Face dor- 

 sale de r abdomen blanc jaunatre, glabre, plus rousse dans le milieu, laissant aper- 

 cevoir par transparence les ramifications noiratres de I'intestin; bord lateral releve, 

 sans sillon marginal; festons posterieurs peu apparents. Face ventrale jaunatre, a 

 taches noiratres par transparence; anus roussMre. Rostre roux, a base tres courte et 

 large; les angles posterieurs a peine saillants, les bords anterieur et posterieur 

 egaux entre eux, ainsi que les bords lateraux anterieurs et posterieurs. Palpes courts, 

 le 2° et le 3*^ articles anguleux en dehors. Pattes plutot courtes, blanc jaunatre; 

 hanches contigues; celles de la l""*" paire a deux dents courtes, les autres semblables 

 au type; tarses courts, avec deux eperons consecutifs, caroncule courte, atteignant a 

 peine le tiers de la longueur des ongles. — Patrie: Afrique meridionale. 



D'apres I'exemplaire de Koch, Afrique australe (Museum de Berlin). 



Espece plus voisine de Rh. annulatus que de toute autre; mais insufl&samment 

 determinee. 



