common in the mountains of the Yemen in southern Arabia (Sanborn and Hoogstraal 1953; Hoogstraal, ms.), which is an outlying part of the Ethiopian Faunal Region. It is not known from Madagascar (Hoogstraal 1953E) and I have not seen it in Turkey.

In Europe, H. leachii has been said to occur in Yugoslavia (Oswald 1938) and in Greece (Oswald 1938, Pandazis 1947) but these records are considered questionable. A German specimen found on a migrant stork from Africa was mentioned by Schulze (1937A). Soviet records (Olenev 1928) refer to different species and Pomerantzev (1950) does not consider it to be a member of the Russian fauna.

The exact relationships of Oriental Faunal Region forms ascribed to this species by Nuttall and Warburton (1915) are at present under study. Apparently most, except the subspecies indica Warburton, 1910, represent different species. Numerous species, obviously derived from an H. leachii prototype, range throughout Asia and its nearby islands, the Near East, and the Madagascan archipelago.

It appears from remarks by Dumbleton (1953), that this tick has not been found in New Zealand since the original record by G. E. Mason (1921), that Mason's ticks may have been a different species. Mason's distributional concepts for this species most probably require revision.

Note

In the following list, all available references to "H. leachii are noted, though it is usually impossible to determine whether authors are referring to the subspecies leachii or muhsami. I have seen actual specimens of the subspecies leachii from all geographical areas and from almost all political territories listed below. The following records are those for continental Africa and Arabia.

As stated above, it is uncertain whether the subspecies leachii occurs outside of the Ethiopian Faunal Region and parts of the Mediterranean Subregion of the Palearctic Region. Analysis of studies of the distribution of this tick will be presented subsequently.

NORTH AFRICA: EGYPT (Savignyi 1826. Audouin 1827. Neumann 1911. Mason 1916).

The following North African records require checking for accuracy of identification: LIBYA: Tonelli Rondelli (1926B). ·Tonelli-Rondelli Franchini (1927,1929A,E). TUNISIA: Colas Belcour and Rageau (1951). See Hoogstraal (1955B). ALGERIA: Neumann (1897) from a "nightingale" and from grass. Some of the H. leachii reported by Neumann (1897) were later (1905) described by him as H. numi diana, which is a synonym of H. erinacei Pavesi, 1884.7

WEST AFRICA: NIGERIA (Simpson 1912A,B. Nuttall and Warbur— ton 1915. Johnston 1916. Pearse 1929). TOGO (Neumann 1901,1911). GOLD COAST (Simpson 1914. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Beal 1920). FRENCH WEST AFRICA (Rousselot 1951,1953B. Villiers 1955). PORTU_ GESE GUINEA (Tendeiro 1948,1951A,D,1952A,B,C,D,F,1953,1954). SIERRA LEONE (Simpson 1913. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Entomological Reports 1916). GAMBIA (Simpson 1911. Nuttall and Warburton 1915).

CENTRAL AFRICA: CAMEROONS (Neumann 1901,1911. Ziemann 1912A. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Rageau 1951,1953A,B. Rousselot 1951, 1953B. Dezest 1953). FRENCH EQUATORIAL AFRICA (Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Fiasson 1943B. Rousselot 1951,1953B. Giroud 1951. Giroud and LeGac 1952). LIBERIA (Bequaert 1930A).

BELGIAN CONGO and RUANDA URUNDI (Newstead, Dutton, and Todd 1907. Massey 1908. Neumann 1911. Nuttall and Warburton 1915, 1916. Seydel 1925. Schwetz 1927A,B,C. Bequaert 1930A,B,1931. Tonelli Rondelli 1932E. Wanson, Richard, and Toubac 1947. Fain 1949. Giroud and Jadin 1950,1955., Giroud 1951. Jadin and Giroud 1951. Jadin 1951B. Schoenaers 1951A,B. Rousselot 1931, 1953B. Theiler and Robinson 1954. Santos Dias 1954D. Van Vaerenbergh 1954).

EAST AFRICA: SUDAN (Balfour 1911F. King 1911,1926. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Hoogstraal 1954B).

ETHIOPIA (Neumann 1902B,1922. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Tonelli Rondelli 1930A. Stella 1938A,1939A,1940. Charters 1948. D'Ignazio and Mira 1949). ERITREA (Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Tonelli Rondelli 1930A. Stella 1938A,1939A,1940). ITALIAN SOMALI LAND (Paoli 1916. Franchini 1929. Tonelli Rondelli 1935. Niro 1935. Stella 1940). FRENCH SOMALILAND (Stella 1940).

KENYA (Neave 1912. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Neumann 1922. Anderson 1924A,B. Lewis 1931A,B,C,1932B,1934,1939A. Roberts and Tonking 1933. Kauntze 1934. Roberts 1935. Loveridge 1936. Dick and Lewis 1947. Weber 1948. Heisch 1950B. Binns 1951,1952. Wiley 1953. Weyer 1955). UGANDA (Neave 1912. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Neumann 1922. Bequaert 1930B. Loveridge 1936. Carmichael 1942. As H. leachii humerosoides: Theiler 1943B. Wilson 1950). TANGANYIKA (Neumann 19070,1910B. Neave 1912. Nuttall and Warbur ton 1915. Morstatt 1913. Loveridge 1923A. Bequaert 1930A. Allen and Loveridge 1933).

ANGOLA (Neumann 1901.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Gamble 1914. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Sousa Dias 1950. Santos Dias 1950. Theiler and Robinson 1954). MOZAMBIQUE (Howard 1908. Nuttall and Warbur ton 1915. De Meillon 1942. As H. leachii humerosoides: Theiler 1943B. Santos Dias 1952H,1953A,B,C,1954H,1955A. Theiler and Robinson 1953A).

NORTHERN RHODESIA (Neave 1912. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Morris 1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940. As H. leachii humerosoides: Le Roux 1947. Theiler and Robinson 1954). SOUTHERN RHODESIA (Koch 1903. Edmonds and Bevan 1914. Nuttall and Warbur ton 1915. Jack 1921,1928,1937,1942). NYASALAND (old 1909. Neave 1912. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. De Meza 1918. Wilson 1950B).

BASUTOLAND (Scarce: Theiler and Robinson 1953A). SWAZILAND (Theiler and Robinson 1953A). SOUTHWEST AFRICA (Tromsdorff 1914. Sigwart 1915. Absent in Southwest Africa: Theiler and Robinson 1953A). UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA (Neumann 1897,1911. Lounsbury 1901,1902A,1904A. Howard 1908,1909A. Galli_Valerio 1909. Speiser 1909. Dönitz 1910B. Moore 1912. Van Saceghem 1914. Nuttall and Warburton 1915. Bedford 1920, 1926,1927,1931B,1932B,1936. A. Theiler 1921. Cowdry 19250,1926A,1927. Curson 1928. Cooley 1929, 1934. Bedford and Graf 1934,1939. Pijper and Crocker 1938. J.H.S. Gear 1938. Brumpt 1938D. J. Gear 1939,1954. Gear and Douthwaite 1938. Mason and Alexander 1939. Gear and De Meillon 1939,1941. De Meillon 1942. du Toit 1942B,1947A. Theiler 1943B. Cluver 1944. Neitz and Steyn 1947. Theiler and Robinson 1953A).

OUTLYING ISLANDS: ZANZIBAR (Neave 1912. Aders 1917). Not known from Madagascan archipelago (Hoogstraal 1953E).

ms.).

ARABIA: YEMEN (Sanborn and Hoogstraal 1953. Hoogstraal, ms.

HOSTS

On

H. leachii leachii, in the adult stage commonly parasitizes domestic dogs. Its local incidence on dogs varies from greater to less than that of the kennel tick, R. s. sanguineus. Locally, R. simus simus is sometimes also a common parasite of dogs. wild animals, H. 1. leachii is frequently numerous on the Canidae (foxes, hunting dogs, and jackals). It is, in comparison with the subspecies muhsami, rare on the various families of smaller carnivores such as the viverrids, which are tropical Africa's most common carnivores. On larger Felidae, lions, leopards, cheetahs and the like, the subspecies leachii may occur in either larger and smaller numbers than muhsami but present data do not suggest that the large cats are hosts of preference. Records of H. 1. leachii from smaller cats and from domestic cats are rare indeed.

Domestic animals, other than dogs, are parasitized only exceptionally. Under a very few local conditions cattle may be attacked. Possibly tribal customs, in which man, cattle, and dogs sleep in the same hut or compound, account for these instances.

Larvae and nymphs usually parasitize common field rodents, especially Arvicanthis and Mastomys, in their nests. They are said also to feed on domestic dogs (see BIOLOGY below). Rarely one finds a few nymphs, along with considerably larger numbers of adults, on wild canines. This would indicate that, under the influence of some yet unknown factors, nymphs have left rodent burrows to feed elsewhere, or that an apparently small proportion of the nymphal population does not feed on rodents.

Inasmuch as it is impossible to distinguish which of the two subspecies of H. leachii most authors are referring to, the only data that may be used in this section are from the present observations and those of the very few recent students who have differentiated their material. A more exact study of available data will be presented in a subsequent report.

BIOLOGY

Life Cycle

Nuttall's (1913B) and Nuttall and Warburton's (1915) summary of Nuttall's and of Lounsbury's (1901,19024,1904A) observations on rearing H. leachii (most likely H. 1. leachii) are essentially as follows: This tick requires three hosts upon which to feed during its larval, nymphal, and adult stages. About a week after molting each stage readily attaches to the host, which under experimental conditions may be a number of different animals, jackal, dog, ferret, hedgehog, goat, or rabbit. It appears to be immaterial upon which of these hosts the ticks feed. Larvae and nymphs feed for three to seven days (two to three days: Lounsbury), occasionally longer. Females attach for eight to sixteen days. Males may remain upon the host for many weeks. Air temperature, within the limits observed (9°C. to 23°C.), appears to exert little or no influence upon the time ticks remain upon the host, "the warmth from the animal being doubtless sufficient to keep the ticks active".

The time required for metamorphosis is influenced by temper ature. Larvae hatch after 26 to 37 days at 20°C. or after 58 to eighty days at 12°C. to 13°C. Nymphs emerge, as a rule, after thirty to forty days. Adults emerge after fifteen or sixteen days at 24°C. to 26°C., but require up to seventy days at 14°C.

The unfed tick survives for long periods under favorable conditions. In small corked bottles maintained at about 12°C., larvae are still active after 169 days, nymphs after 52 days, and adults after about 210 days.

Males and females placed simultaneously upon the host scatter but in two or three days both sexes are found attached in close proximity to each other. Copulation occurs upon the host (HH observation). Lounsbury saw marked males detach and reattach close to females. A male may mate with more than one female.

After a replete female abandons the host, the interval before egglaying commences is markedly influenced by temperature. Females held at 23°C. begin oviposition after three to five days; at 16°C. to 21°C. after fourteen to eighteen days; at lower tem