In Torit District, we closely examined over 200 each francolins and Uganda tufted guineafowl (Numida meleagris major), and many other birds, without finding additional specimens of this tick, It would appear, therefore, that H. hoodi hoodi is uncommon in the savannah of eastern Sudan.

DISTRIBUTION IN THE SUDAN

Bahr El Ghazal: One o from tchagra shrike, Tchagra senegalo remigialis, Guar, Gogrial Šubdistrict, February, 1953, Ahmed Mohamed El Sayed legit (HH collection).

This and the Torit collections are the only Sudanese records of this avian parasite.

DISTRIBUTION

The African avian haemaphysalid ranges through tropical Africa and into southern Africa, but is possibly more common in western Africa and Uganda than elsewhere. A related subspecies, madagas cariensis Colas-Belcour and Millot, 1948, occurs on Madagascar and other closely related species form a tight complex in the Oriental Region (Hoogstraal 1953E).

WEST AFRICA: GAMBIA (Warburton and Nuttall 1909). GOLD COAST (Nuttall and Warburton 1915). FRENCH WEST AFRICA (Villiers 1955). SIERRA LEONE (Simpson's 1913 record of H. leachii from a bush shrike possibly refers to H. hoodi hoodi. Nuttall and Warburton 1915). PORTUGUESE GUINEA (Tendeiro 1947,1948,1951C,D, 1952A,C,D).

Numerous spec

CENTRAL AFRICA: CAMEROONS (Rageau 1953A,B. imens seen by HH). FRENCH EQUATORIAL AFRICA (Specimens from Djambala, Moyen Congo; CNHM).

BELGIAN CONGO: Bequaert (1931) states that while this spe cies had not been found in the Congo, it can be expected to occur here.7

EAST AFRICA: SUDAN (Hoogstraal 1954B). UGANDA (Neave 1912. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Mettam 1932. Lucas 1954. See HOSTS below). KENYA (Hoogstraal 1954C).

SOUTHERN AFRICA: NYASALAND (Neave 1912. Nuttall and Warbur ton 1915. Wilson 1950B). Wilson 1950B). MOZAMBIQUE (As H. africana: Howard 1909A. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Santos Dias 1952D,1953B, 1954C; see HOSTS below. Hoogstraal 1954C. Theiler, correspondence; see HOSTS below). UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA (Bedford and Hewitt 1925. Bedford 1932B. Theiler, correspondence; see HOSTS below).

HOSTS

H. hoodi hoodi parasitizes birds exclusively, chiefly those kinds that are habitual ground feeders. See BIOLOGY below.

"Fowls" (i.e. ?domestic chickens) (Warburton and Nuttall 1909). Domestic chickens (Tendeiro 1947. Lucas 1954).

Burchell's coucal, Centropus senegalensis burchelli (Howard 1909). Western blue-headed coucal, C. monachus occidentalis (Ra geau 1953B. Others seen by HH). Senegal coucal, C. senegalensis (Tendeiro 1948, Villiers 1955, and Nuttall and Warburton 1915). Guinea fowl, Numidia meleagris, plaintain eater, Gymnoschizorhis leopoldi, and "partridge" (Nuttall and Warburton 1915). Redwing starling, Onychognathus (= Amydrus) morio (Bedford and Hewitt 1925). East African blue eared starling, Lamprocolius chloropterus elisabeth (Santos Dias 1952D). Clapper lark, Mirafa fischeri zombae (French Equatorial Africa specimens noted above). Falcon (Theiler, unpublished). Tchagra shrike (Hoogstraal 1954B,C, Sudan record above). Double-spurred francolin, Francolinus bicalcaratus (Cameroons, J. Mouchet legit, HH det). Spurfowl or francolin (Francolinus spp., Pternistis sp.) (Santos Dias 1953D, 1954C, Hoogstraal 1954B,C, and Sudan record above). White-browed

scrub robin, Erythropygia leucophrys limpopoensis (Santos Dias 1954D). Abdim's stork (Hoogstraal 1954B, Sudan record above).

Uganda hosts of specimens identified for the Museum of Com parative Zoology are: grey hornbill, Lophoceros n. nasutus; Grant's crested francolin, F. sephaena grantii; yellow-beaked francolin, F. icterorhynchus; Abyssinian gonolak, Laniarius erythrogaster, and several individuals of both kinds of guinea fowl already noted from Equatoria Province, Sudan.

Additional, recently obtained host data (Theiler, correspond ence) is as follows: Centropus superciliosus from Uganda; "partridges" from East London, eastern Cape, and southern Transvaal, South Africa; Turdoides jardinei and Orthochagra senegal from Maringua, Mozambique; and Falco biramicus from Pietermaritzburg, Natal.

The possibility that the record of a nymphal H. leachii muhsami from a tchagra shrike in Mozambique (Santos Dias 1954C) refers actually to H. hoodi hoodi should be considered.

The subject of parasitism of birds by ticks has been reviewed briefly by Schulze (1932B).

BIOLOGY

Aside from indications that H. hoodi hoodi feeds exclusively on birds, chiefly on those that feed on the ground, and that all of its stages occur on a single host, little else is known of their biology. If domestic chickens were frequently attacked, more reports probably would have appeared in the literature. In Portugese Guinea, however, Tendeiro (1947) reports this parasite to be common on domestic chickens and in Entebbe, Uganda (Lucas 1954), a flock of chickens was found so heavily infested that a number of hosts died or were badly debilitated.

The distribution of H. hoodi hoodi presumably is much more continuous in tropical Africa than present meagre records indicate. Phylogenetically, H. hoodi and related species, all of which closely resemble it, represents an old, quite static lineage. In Africa,

Madagascar, Asia, and outlying islands these ticks parasitize only birds. Related species infest primitive mammals such as hedgehogs (insectivores), and also reptiles.

DISEASE RELATIONS

DOMESTIC CHICKENS. Fatal anaemia has been reported.

IDENTIFICATION

Males. Palpi basally are widely salient, straight and lacking dorsal or ventral spurs; laterally they are sharply and narrowly recurved basally and thence taper gradually to a narrow apex; segment 3 approximates segment 2 in length and medially bears a notably small and wide spur that is usually medially directed. The rectan gular basis capituli has small but distinct cornua. The scutum is beset with a moderate number of fairly large, shallow punctations; lateral grooves include the first festoon and extend to the anterior third of the scutum; cervical grooves are shallow, concave, and extend more or less to the apical level of the lateral grooves. Coxae bear a small posterior spur, that of III may be obsolete and that of IV may be smaller than illustrated (Figure 137). Tarsi are moderately short and abruptly tapered; they bear a very small ven tral apical hook. Size varies from 1.3 mm. to 2.0 mm. long and from 1.0 mm. to 1.4 mm. wide.

Female palpi are like those of the male except that they are slightly less salient basally and more conical and elongate. The basis capituli is rectangular with very small cornua and a slightly concave basal margin; the porose areas are shallow and indistinct, The scutum is broadly oval, slightly longer than wide, and gradual ly converging posteriorly; punctations are evenly scattered and rather large; cervical grooves are slightly concave and may reach the posterior third of the scutum. Tarsi taper somewhat more gradually than in males. The body becomes considerably extended when engorged.

The larvae and nymph have been described and illustrated by Nuttall and Warburton (1915).