Dermacentor reticulatus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) distribution in north-eastern Poland: an endemic area of tick-borne diseases

Dermacentor reticulatus is the second most important tick species in Poland. Although the north-eastern region of Poland is considered typical for D. reticulatus and is treated as a contiguous area of Eastern populations of the meadow ticks, the occurrence of this tick species in this region to date has been recorded as separate foci. The present report supplements data on the geographical distribution of D. reticulatus in urban and natural biotopes of north-eastern Poland (Warmia and Mazury province). In 2015-2017 (during the springtime activity of ticks) adult questing D. reticulatus were found in 13 of 25 monitored localities. Six sites are located in urbanized areas, within the administrative borders of the city of Olsztyn and seven sites are in natural biotopes in the central part of Warmia and Mazury. A total of 398 adult D. reticulatus ticks, including 257 females and 141 males, were collected. A comparison of data grouped according to urban and natural type of area revealed no statistical differences between them. Taking into account the habitat type, the mean tick density was the highest in open landscapes. The identification of new foci D. reticulatus in the endemic areas of Lyme borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis and canine babesiosis is crucial for determining the risk of diseases transmitted by ticks and taking proper preventive measures.

Seasonal occurrence of Ixodidae on cattle in Northern Province, Nyasaland

For some years past in Northern Province, Nyasaland, work has been in progress to determine the mortality amongst native cattle due to east coast fever (Wilson, 1944). As an integral part of such a survey, routine tick collections were made during cattle inspections. It was then intended to map the various species of tick concerned in the hope that their geographical distribution might offer a partial explanation for the prevalence or absence of east coast fever in certain areas. Such a map for the western portion of Kenya Colony has been provided by Lewis (1939), ‘according to the groups of dominant species of ticks’; but in Kenya, climate, soils and vegetation show wide contrasting variations, and conditions are scarcely comparable to those existing in the smaller territory of Nyasaland.

A note on an unusual male tick from Glamorgan

During the course of investigations into the distribution and seasonal activity of the tick, Ixodes ricinus L., in South Wales (Edwards & Arthur, 1945), a male tick was recovered which on examination was found to be a member of Ixodoidea, but which differed from the normal male of I. ricinus L. It was recovered from Margam Moors (Glamorgan, South Wales) by one of the writers (D.R.A.) in 1945, whilst dragging a blanket over rough vegetation, a method previously employed by MacLeod (1932) for the recovery of ticks from grassland. This is the only specimen of its kind which has been found, despite the examination of several thousands of males during the past three years. It has therefore been considered desirable to place on record a description of the form. When placed in a tube containing ten unfed females of I. ricinus, no mating occurred. Under similar conditions a typical male of this species mated with one unfed female within 7 minutes of its introduction.

The ecology of the sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus L.; host relationships of the tick, review of previous work in Britain

On the whole published data on the host relationships of Ixodes ricinus L. in Britain are rather inadequate, but the following points emerge:

The tick (stages unspecified) has been found on twenty-three mammal, twenty-one bird and one reptile species. These include both wild and domestic animals. There are no records of non-hosts. The host list is incomplete. Its length and variety suggest, however, that the tick will feed on practically any mammal or bird it may meet.

Tick stages found on fifteen mammal, twenty-one bird and one reptile species have been recorded. For a number of reasons (see text) ‘recorded’ absence of any tick stage from an animal is not necessarily reliable. This, together with the incompleteness of the host list, detracts a little from the assertion of several authors, namely, that in general larvae and nymphs occur on both mammals and birds, but adult ticks on mammals only.

No precise host-potentials for any wild species relative to sheep (or other important farm stock) have been published in Britain. But, in one area, Scottish mountain hare, red deer and roe deer have been slaughtered on a large scale because of their alleged importance as hosts. Very inadequate data from two authors seem to suggest that as normally stocked populations (a) grouse are negligible compared with sheep as hosts to female ticks, and (b) mountain hare and red deer may play quite an important part in maintaining female ticks. Suggestion (b) at least should not be taken seriously until comprehensively investigated.

One author shows that an ‘appreciable’ tick population was maintained on a hill grazing by a reduced wild fauna in the absence of sheep.

Another author shows that the tick population of a grazing was considerably reduced by acaricidal treatment of sheep, together with almost complete extermination of a section of the wild fauna. Unfortunately, the two factors cannot be disentangled.

We would like to thank Mr Charles Elton, Director, Bureau of Animal Population, Oxford, and Dr J. MacLeod of the Cooper Technical Bureau, Berkhamsted, for criticism of the MS.; Mr F. Wallace for information on red deer stocking; and Dr V. B. Wigglesworth, F.R.S.,. Director, Agricultural Research Council Unit of Insect Physiology, Cambridge, within whose organization the work was done.

On some abnormalities in Hyalomma savignyi

Many workers have described abnormal forms and structures in ticks. Neuman (1899) was the first who recorded some abnormal Ixodidae. Brumpt (1934) reviewed the literature and recorded some new interesting abnormalities. The posterior region of the body of one of the specimens described by Brumpt had two ani and four stigmata. Brumpt considered that only the Ixodidae display abnormal forms, but since then Robinson (1943–4) described abnormalities in laboratory-bredOrnithodorus moubata. He also noticed a ‘partially twinned’ tick which mated, and laid eggs which developed into normal ticks.

On the genus Eucampsipoda Kol. and Dipseliopoda n.g. (Nycteribiidae, Diptera)

The genus Eucampsipoda was created by Kolenati in 1857 for Eucampsipoda hyrtlii, the common parasite of Rousettus aegyptiacus, and Nycteribia fitzingeri Kol., 1856, which he later considered as synonym with N. aegyptia Macquart, 1851. In his paper of 1863 Kolenati gives illustrations of E. hyrtlii, but not of E. aegyptia as he had in the meantime lost his specimens. Macquart's description does not permit the recognition of the species, and it is even doubtful whether he was dealing with an Eucampsipoda at all. Speiser (1901) adds only a few details to Kolenati's description of E. hyrtlii, but introduces an unfortunate complication by incorrectly identifying specimens from Burma and Sumatra as E. hyrtlii. Later (1908) Speiser identified specimens from the Comoro Islands as E. hyrtlii, but this record has also become doubtful, as will be shown later. Scott (1914) accepts Speiser's identification of the Indonesian material as E. hyrtlii, and describes and figures a female specimen from Ceylon as E. hyrtlii, which is in fact E. latisternum Schuurm. Stekh. Scott (1925) identified specimens from South Africa as E. hyrtlii which on re-exaniination proved to belong to a new species. He also mentions Madagascar as a locality for E. hyrtlii without giving details. The distribution of E. hyrtlii was thus apparently extremely wide, throughout Africa, from the Cape Province to Egypt and beyond into Palestine, Comoro Islands, Madagascar, Ceylon, Burma and Sumatra.

New species and new records of Argasidae from Israel. Observations on the rudimentary scutum and the respiratory system of the larvae of the Argasidae

1. The dorsal plate which probably represents a rudimentary scutum in some Argasid larvae is discussed and described.

2. The respiratory system of the larvae of some species of Argas and Ornithodorus is described.

3. The systematic position of the lahorensis group of the genus Ornithodorus is discussed and the use of the name Alveonasus with an emended diagnosis for this group is suggested.

4. Ornithodorus procaviae n.sp. is described. Two other probably new species are described provisionally, but not named.

5. New records for other species of Argasidae in Israel are given.

A REVISION OF NOSOMMA MONSTROSUM (NUTTALL AND WARBURTON, 1908) IXODOIDEA: IXODIDAE

Nosomma monstrosum was originally described from a male specimen under the name of Hyalomma monstrosum by Nuttall & Warburton (1908), and the female was described some ten years later by Warburton (1918). Three other males were also seen by him at this time, and he was somewhat hesitant to assign these ticks to the genus Hyalomma. The genus Nosomma was proposed by Schulze (1919) to accommodate this monotypic species, but this appears to have been done without seeing the species and his reasons for establishing the genus appear to be insufficient. Chodziesner (1924) and Sharif (1928) concur on the validity of the genus and the latter defines the genus as follows: ‘eyes flat, scutum, legs and dorsal surface of the capitulum ornate, festoons present, palps short and broad, basis rectangular dorsally in both sexes, coxae I bifid, other coxae with two short spurs on each, ventral shields in the male represented by adanal, accessory and trilobed subanal shields; spiracles short, comma-shaped in the male and subtriangular in the female’. Delpy (1936) agreed in the separation of Cosmiomma and Nosomma from Hyalomma, and in respect of Nosomma stated that ‘Caractérisé par des palpes dont l'article III est plus large que long et par des ecussons subanaux tres volumineux’. Generic status was also accepted by Toumanoff (1944) and Santos Dias (1954).