N. CUNLIFFE 
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Geographical Distribution. 
Since 1904, many specimens of Rhipicephalus pulchellus have been 
received at this laboratory, through the courtesy of the Imperial 
Bureau of Entomology and of many private collectors. It is however 
a comparatively rare tick, since during a period of nine years only 
44 consignments have been received by Prof. Nuttall, the total number 
of individuals received, being at a liberal estimation, between seven and 
eight hundred, although on one or two occasions, when the hosts have 
been very badly infested, as many as three hundred ticks have reached 
us from the one host. 
With three exceptions, R. pulchellus has been obtained only from 
British East Africa and Uganda, in which provinces it is widely spread 1 . 
In April 1912, D. S. G. Parham collected this species from bullocks 
in various localities in Zanzibar; Donitz also received specimens, which 
were sent to him by Rob. Koch, from cattle in this island; in Nov. 1909, 
a number of these ticks from a dog were sent by R. E. Drake-Brockman 
from British Somaliland, and R. I. Pocock (1900) described the species 
as new under the name R. marmoreus from one male collected in May 
1895 at Bularli, West Somaliland (no host mentioned) 2 . 
The tick has probably been spread over the adjacent provinces, from 
its home in British East Africa, by cattle and dogs, these animals being 
the usual hosts in Somaliland, Zanzibar, etc. 
Hosts. 
R. pulchellus is commonly known as the “ Zebra Tick ” but it is not 
peculiar to this host, occurring more frequently on other animals. It 
has also been collected from desert country in B. E. Africa and swept 
from grass at various localities along the Uganda Railway, B. E. A. 
1 Localities mentioned by Neumann (1911) and Donitz (1905), other than those 
indicated above, are as follows: 
Neumann—Zanguebar, Abyssinia, German East Africa. 
Donitz—Pangani, Aruscha, Moschi. 
2 In 1911, through the kindness of Prof. Newstead, we received a number of ticks sent 
by Capt. B. Markham Carter from Kasauli, Punjab, India, the hosts being cattle and 
R. pulchellus was alleged to be amongst these. In view of the restricted distribution of 
the species it is very possible that the Indian locality is wrongly given, and until confirmed 
no reliance may be placed upon it. 
