punctations. Punctations medium to large, deep, somewhat un evenly densely scattered, sometimes confluent, extending onto lateral folds. Basis capituli about three times as broad as long; cornua short, blunt points; lateral angles fairly sharp at midlength; surface not so heavily punctate as in male; porose areas circular, a little more than their own diameter apart. Palpi slightly longer than basis capituli and twice as long as broad, segments 2 and 3 as long as broad, segment 1 visible dorsally.

The larva and nymph have been described and illustrated by Theiler and Robinson (1953B).

RHIPICEPHALUS SUPERTRITUS Sudan Specimens

PLATE LXXXVII

- 767

The male in the Sudan Government Collection, collected by H. H. King, had been identified by him as R. falcatus. The collecting locality of this specimen may now be just inside the Sudan or just over the Uganda border.

DISTRIBUTION IN THE SUDAN

Upper Nile: Sudan Government collections contain a male specimen, collected from a dog at Bor by H. H. King, which had been identified and reported by him (1926) as R. sulcatus.

DISTRIBUTION

R. supertritus is an uncommon East African tick that ranges into Central Africa and into the northern part of southern Africa.

CENTRAL AFRICA: CAMEROONS (Schulze 1941). BELGIAN CONGO (Neumann 1907B,1911. Massey 1908. Nuttall and Warburton 1916. Bequaert 1930B,1931. Zumpt 1942B).

EAST AFRICA: SUDAN (In part as R. sulcatus: King 1926. Hoogstraal 1954B).

ERITREA (HH collection from Nacta). UGANDA (Nuttall lot 2396 in BMNH collections, from Gomba). KENYA (Lewis 1931A,C, 1933,1934). TANGANYIKA (Zumpt 1942B)

Nuttall and Warbur Santos Dias 1950C). SOUTHERN RHODESIA

SOUTHERN AFRICA: ANGOLA (As R. coriaceus: ANGOLA (As R. coriaceus: ton 1908 and Warburton 1912. Sousa Dias 1950. NORTHERN RHODESIA (Theiler and Robinson 1954). (Jack 1921,1928,1942). NYASALAND (As R. coriaceus: Nuttall and Warburton 1908, 0ld 1909. Old 1909. Warburton 1912. Neumann 1908,1911. Neave 1912. Zumpt 1942B. Theiler 1947. Wilson 1950B. Hoogstraal 1954C). MOZAMBIQUE (Santos Dias 1950B,19520,1952H,1953B).

HOST'S

R. supertritus is an uncommon parasite of larger wild animals and appears to feed only occasionally on domestic animals. Hosts of immature stages are unknown.

Domestic animals: Horse (Neumann 1907B,1911, Massey 1908). Dog (Sudan record above). Cattle (Nuttall and Warburton 1916, Matthysse 1954, Theiler and Robinson 1954).

Antelopes: Eland (Bequaert 1930B,1931). Zambesi eland (Santos Dias 1953B). Kudu (Jack 1942, Santos Dias 1953B, Hoogstraal collection from Eritrea. Hartebeest (Zumpt 1942B, Wilson 1950B). Lichtenstein's hartebeest (Santos Dias 1952H,1953B). Sable antelope (Theiler 1947, Wilson 1950B).

Other mammals: Buffalo (Theiler 1947, Wilson 1950B, Santos Dias 1950B,19520,1953B, Sudan records above). Rhinoceros (Lewis 1933). Warthog (Hoogstraal 1954C). Lion (Lewis 1934). Zebra (Zumpt 1942B).

BIOLOGY

This interesting tick seems to be rare wherever it occurs. Its life cycle is unknown. It sometimes occurs in large numbers on single animals or herds. For instance, in Matthysse's (1954) study of ticks in Northern Rhodesia, this tick was found only once on cattle, but the collection consisted of eighteen males and fifteen females.

Unstudied.

DISEASE RELATIONS

REMARKS

The haller's organ of R. supertritus has been illustrated by Schulze (1941). Zumpt (1942B) includes R. supertritus in the R. capensis group (see R. longus, page 667).

IDENTIFICATION

This rugose species has been described best by Theiler (1947). Variations are within the general remarks below.

Male: This species is usually large, from 3.3 mm. to 5.3 mm. long and from 1.3 mm. to 3.3 mm. wide, and usually black. It is easily recognized by a combination of characters including a pointed dorsal projection of coxa I; scutal punctations that are large, dense, and closely spaced or contiguous; and conspicuous reticulation or shagreening of the cervical areas and of the posterior grooves. The posteromedian groove is longer and narrower than the paramedian grooves; the lateral grooves are wide and deep. One or three median festoons protrude upon engorgement. The narrowly elongate adanal shields have a moderately convex outer margin and an almost straight or slightly concave inner margin; these margins meet at a pointed or a rounded anterior and posterior juncture and the shields are more ovoid than triangular in shape.

Female: Conspicuous shagreening or reticulation of the cervical areas and of the lateral grooves also distinguishes females of this species. The punctations are coarse and rugose, adjacent or contiguous centrally. The dark brown scutum, which is about as wide as long, has flat eyes at about midlength and a sinuous or gradually rounded posterior margin. Its pronounced lateral grooves are impunctate and extend to the posterior margin; the cervical grooves are deep and converging anteriorly, superficial and diverging posteriorly.