Females have elliptical, open anal grooves. Coxa I has a concave posterior border prolonged internally to a long spine and externally to a shorter spine. The scutum is longer than broad, broadest at anterior third; it lacks lateral grooves, has numerous deep, uniform punctations, and its cervical grooves diverge from the anterior third and are deeper posteriorly than they are anteriorly. The basis capituli ventrally has pointed, retrograde spurs (auriculae). Total length of gorged specimens may reach 7.0 mm.

The nymph has been described and figured by Nuttall and Warburton (1911). The larva is described by Arthur (ms.), who also redescribes the nymph and both sexes of adults.

IXODES SIMPLEX SIMPLEX

Kenya specimen

PLATE LXVI

- 562

Katire is at 3500 feet elevation in the Imatong Mountains. The tick noted above was sent for identification after having been removed at Chicago Natural History Museum from a host collected by Mr. John Owen. This is the only record of this species from the Sudan.

DISTRIBUTION

The subspecies simplex has a wide distribution throughout the warmer parts of the Old World. In Africa, it is thus far known only from the Sudan, Kenya where the only other subspecies, africanus Arthur, 1956 (A), also occurs 7, and the Union of South Africa. Elsewhere, it is found in the Near East, southern Europe, and Asia from Shanghai to Japan. A larger, closely related South African form has been noted by Arthur (1956A) as Ixodes sp. incertae.

CENTRAL AFRICA:

Africa

BELGIAN CONGO.

The subspecies mentioned by Bequaert (19308,1931) is not now certain. Records from French Equatorial Africa (Neumann 1906,1911, and Nuttall and Warburton 1911), refer actually to material from Kashmir or a neighboring country in southern Asia; cf. Arthur (1956A).7

EAST AFRICA: SUDAN (As I. simplex: Hoogstraal 1954B. As I. simplex simplex: Arthur 1956A).

KENYA Arthur 1956A. Note:

Note: I. simplex was listed by Love_ ridge (1936) from Kenya; his specimens, from Mt. Elgon, are not

available for subspecies determination. Material from the crater of Mt. Menengai (HH legit) recently has been described by Arthur (1956A) as I. simplex africanus 7.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA Arthur (1956A). Note: According to Bedford (1932B), the record of I. pilosus howardi from a bat, reported by Howard (1908), may be 1. simplex, but the material is not now available and the subspecies or spe cies cannot be determined. The specimens referred to as I. simplex by Zumpt (1950B) have not been reexamined. A closely related species or subspecies, of uncertain taxonomic status, is noted by Arthur (1956A) from the Irene caves near Pretoria_7.

?NORTH AFRICA: Specimen with this designation noted by Arthur (1956A).

Near East

PALESTINE (Arthur 1956A).

Europe

GREECE (Schulze 1937B. Pandazis 1947. Arthur 1956A). FRANCE (Arthur 1956A).

Asia

"KASHMIR OR A NEIGHBORING COUNTRY" Type locality according to Arthur (1956A) 7. CHINA (Neumann 1906,1911. Arthur 1956A). JAPAN (Kishida 1930. Arthur 1956A).

HOSTS

Bats known to be hosts of I. simplex simplex or of "I. simplex" are those of the genus Rhinolophus, family Rhinolophidae, the horseshoe bats; Miniopterus, long-fingered bats (all previously unreported); and Myotis, mouse-eared bats. Both latter genera are in the family Vespertilionidae and both families are in the suborder Microchiroptera (insectivorous bats).

Rhinolophus ferrum equinum (Neumann 1906). Rhinolophus eloquens (Loveridge 1936A). Rhinolophus clivosus auger (= geoffroyi auger*) (Zumpt 1950B). R. sp. of Howard (1908) equals R. clivosus auger geoffroyi auger*) according to Bedford (1932B). Rhinolophus clivosus zambesiensis (Sudan record above).

Myotis (= Vespertilio) sp. (Neumann 1906). Myotis tricolor (Bedford 1932B), and Irene caves material mentioned under SOUTH AFRICA above. Myotis macrodactylus (Arthur 1956A).

Miniopterus natalensis arenarius and Miniopterus schreibersi (subsp. probably Japoniae) from Japan, M. schreibersi and M. s. schreibersi (Arthur 1956A).

BIOLOGY

Aside from the fact that larvae, nymphs, and females are taken on bats, nothing is known concerning the biology of I. simplex. Males either do not take blood or feed very rapidly and quickly secrete themselves thereafter; they should be searched for in retreats frequented by bats. Ixodes simplex is widely spread through the tropics and temperate climates of the world and must be an un commonly adaptable tick. Its hosts' ability to fly undoubtedly accounts in part for the great range of this species.

Unknown.

DISEASE RELATIONS

REMARKS

The haller's organ of both subspecies of I. simplex is like that of I. vespertilionis (Arthur 1956B).

*I am indebted to C. C. Sanborn, Curator of Mammals at Chicago Natural History Museum, and an outstanding authority on bats, for checking the bat host names in this section.