A P PE N D IX II
B R IT ISH IX O D ID Æ (T IC K S ) P A R A S IT IC O N B R IT ISH M AM M A L S
B y E . G. W heler
T he study o f Üut Ixodidee, or Ticks, has received but little attention'from British naturalists, and the
only classification o f the family having any pretension to accuracy and completeness is that of
Professor Neumann o f Toulouse, published in a series o f articles in the ‘ Mémoires de la Société
Zoologique de F rance ’ for the years 1896, 1897, 1899, and 1902. These parasites pass through
four stages— the egg, larva, pupa or nymph, and the adult. In the larval, pupal, and adult female
stages o f the sub-family Ixodinee the body consists o f a highly distensible cuticle. This is partly
covered by a hard scutellum, or shield, on the back, and is provided with a false head, or capitulum.
T he latter is furnished with a hard chitinous labium provided with a tube, through which blood is
sucked, armed with two rows o f barbs for clinging to the flesh o f a host
T he male is similar, except that the shield covers the whole o f the body, with the exception,
in many cases, o f a narrow margin. T he body o f the male is incapable o f much distension.
In the sub-family Argasinee the shields are absent, and the bodies are incapable o f great
distension. In larval stages Ticks have six legs ; in all other stages e ight
T he life-history o f a Tick is sharply divided between a free and a parasitical existence. In the
first it lives absolutely without food for prolonged periods, and either passes its time in a semi-
torpid condition or is actively occupied in searching for a host on which to establish itself. In
captivity Ticks have been known to exist for more than two years without food, but during this
time all growth is suspended and no metamorphosis can take place. In the parasitical state life is
supported b y sucking the blood o f the host until the T ick has (with the exceptions mentioned)
become greatly distended. It is when in this condition that they are usually noticed. When
replete some species fall to the ground and undergo metamorphosis, but others pass one or both
metamorphoses on the host. All, however, lay eggs on the ground.
T h e habits o f the Argasinee differ, being similar to those o f the Bed Bug : they attack the
host by night and retire to conceal themselves during the day.
A s the study o f Ticks is o f economic importance a few hints as to the methods o f collecting
and preserving them may not be out o f place. For the purposes o f identification the large distended
females are o f little use. T he great distension o f the body obliterates most o f their characteristics.
Where these are observed, however, careful search should be made for examples in other
stages. Ticks can be killed by chloroform, or they can be kept alive in bottles for long periods ;
Appendix II 3 5 5
but most o f them require a little living moss or damp sand to prevent them from drying up. The
process o f egg-laying is most remarkable: the e g g is received from the ovipositor by a thin
transparent membrane, which is inflated for the purpose, and is deposited on the capitulum.
From 2,000 to 20,000 eggs are laid, according to the species. Sexual intercourse is performed
by the mouth organs o f the male; the sexual orifice o f the female is situated between
the legs.
T h e individual habits o f the various species differ considerably, and as regards British
species have been little studied. Ixodes riein us is probably the only species o f which the life-
history is fully known. Some species are cosmopolitan in their tastes, attacking many different
hosts; others confine themselves closely to certain orders o f mammals, birds, or reptiles.
There has been great confusion in classification: I . rieinus, for instance, a common species,
has no fewer than twenty Synonyms. Omitting introduced species, there are only eight British
Ticks. T h e following classification and synonymy is from Neumann’s Memoir g a S p i
ARGASINiE.
A rg o s reflexus, Fabricius, 1794.
Syn. A ca rus reflexus, Fabr. 1794. A rg o s reflexus, Latreille, 1796. Rkynchoprion
columbee, Herm. 1804.
A rg o s vespertilion is, Latreille.
Syn. Carios vespertilionis, Latreille, 1796. C aris vespertilionis, Latr. 1804. A rg o s
fisch eri, Audouin, 1827. A . pipistrellee, Aud. 1832. C aris vespertilionis, Gervais,
1844. C. ellip tica , Kolenati, 1857. C. longimana, Kolen. 1857. C. decussata,
Kolen. 1857. C. inerm is, Kolen. 1857. A rg o s fisch eri, George, 1876. A .
pipistrellee, Westwood, 1877.
IXODINiE.
Ixodes rieinus, Latreille, 1804.
Syn. Reduvius, Charlton, 1668. R iein u s caninus, Ray, 1710. A ca rus ricinoides, De
Geer, 1778. A . rieinus, Linn. 1788. Cynorheestes reduvius, Herrn. 1804.
C . rieinus, Herrn. 1804. Ixodes megatkyreus, Leach, 7. bipunctatus, Risso,
1826. Cynorheestes hertnanni, Risso, 1826. Crotonus rieinus, Dumeril, 1829.
Ixodes trabeatus, Aud. 1832. 7. plumbeus, Dug6s, 1834. I . reduvius, Hahn,
1834. I . fu scu s, I . rufu s, I . sulcatus, I . sciu ri, and 7. lacertee, Koch, 1835?
7. pustularum , Lucas, 1866. 7. fod ien s, Murray, 1877.
Ixodes kexagonus, Leach, 1815, var. longispinosus, Neumann.
Syn. 7. autumnalis, Leach, 1815. 7. erinacei, Aud. 1832. 7. reduvius, Aud. 1832.
7. crenulatus, Koch. 7. vulpis, Pagenstecher, 1861. 7. erinaceus, Murray, 1877.
7. riein us, Megnin, 1880.
Ixodes tenuirostris, Neumann.
Ceratixodes putus, Cambridge.
Syn. 7. putus, Cambridge, 1879* Hyalomma puta, Camb. 1879- borealis and
7. fim briatus, Kramer and Neumann, 1883.