INDO-MALAY SIAN SCHONGASTIELLA 
105 
Comments. — G. punctata is a characteristic parasite of shrews in Assam and North Burma. 
Fifty-four of 60 parasitized hosts examined by the U.S.A. Typhus Commission were shrews 
of the genera Crocidura, Suncus , and Anourosorex. The remainder were Rattus rattus sladeni , 
Rattus flavipectus yannanensis and Mus bactrianus kakhyensis. As a rule less than 10 per cent, 
of the chiggers on the shrews were of this species, but at times as high as 21 of 24 chiggers 
sampled per host were G. punctata. This chigger was not encountered by us in the truly dry 
season. The localities represented were in scrub vegetation in the Ledo, Assam, area and in 
the vicinity of Myitkyina, North Burma. Two specimens were collected from a shrew in 
secondary growth at Shingbwiyang, North Burma. G. punctata was originally described from 
a Suncus collected at Kanglatongbi near Imphal, by the British Scrub Typhus Research 
Laboratory. This unit recorded punctata from 49 shrews and 10 Rattus r. bullocki , mostly 
in April-July (51 hosts), but with 5 hosts in August, 2 in September and 1 in November. 
Two records were from near Kalewa on the Chindwin Burma, but this species was not recorded 
from South Burma (Rangoon-Prome-Toungoo area) (Audy, personal communi cation). 
Womersley records G. punctata from Ceylon. 
The North Burma and Assam specimens referred by us to this species do not quite agree 
with Womersley’s descriptions. He cites the palpal femoral seta as being lightly branched, 
while the palpal claw is “apparently bifurcate”. In our series the palpal femoral seta is nude 
and the claw seems trifurcate. Nude setae in this group of trombiculid mites at times appear 
frayed, while the palpal claw prongs are often difficult to see clearly. The discrepancies are 
therefore considered inconsequential. 
Gahrliepia (Schongastiella) hipposideros (Audy, 1952). 
Schongastiella hipposideros Audy, 1952, Bull , Raffles. Mus., 24, 148-151, figs. 5, 6. 
Diagnosis. — The author’s diagnosis may be quoted : 4 This species is very close to 
A. punctata Radford, from shrews and rodents in Manipur (India), Burma, and Ceylon, and 
differs in the narrower scutum (posterior setae close to the edge) and the unisetose coxa III, 
which is 2-setose in punctata (and 4-setose in the closely related S. kumaonensis Worn.), and 
the arrangement of body setae lateral to the scutum (2.4.4. hipposideros and 2.2.4. in punctata). 
\n punctata the scutum at the level of the PLs is some 7-10^ wider than PW (see fig. 6).' Coxa II 
measures 41.5^ giving a PW/Coxa-II ratio of 1.35 (personal communication). 
Type Material. — A single holotype from a horseshoe bat, Hipposideros sp., from Bukit 
Lagong Forest Reserve, near Kuala Lumpur, 5.ix.i95i. 
Comment. — This specimen has not been studied by us. Its relationships cannot be 
properly assessed without more material, and it is included in the present paper to complete 
records of species of Schongastiella so far described from Malaya. 
Comment on the Subgenus Schongastiella 
As can be noted from the illustrations and descriptions above, the species of the subgenus 
Schongastiella are remarkably uniform concerning the setation of the palpi and the sensory 
setae of the legs. The palpal setae are virtually always nude — only in G. kalrata n. sp. and 
G. punctata (Radford, 1946) is there an indication of barbs on these setae. Here the palpal 
femoral setae is at times frayed or slightly barbed. All the species discussed have the same 
sensory setae as that described for G. liota n. sp. 
The postlarval stages are outside the scope of this paper but it may be recorded that 
nymphs of the following species have been bred and described : ceylonica , ligula , punctata 
and arona (in MS). 
MALA YA, No. 26, 1953 
