J. P. Vigueras.
On the Ticks of Cuba, with Description of a New Species, Amblyomma torrei, from Cyelura macleayi Gray.
Psyche 41:13-18, 1934.

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19341 Ticks of Cuba 13
ON THE TICKS OF CUBA, WITH DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES, AMBLYOMMA TORREI, FROM
CYCLURA MACLEAYZ GRAY.l
BY J. PEREZ VIGUERAS
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Havana. In the literature on Ixodoidea I find the following infor- mation relating to species recorded from Cuba. F. J. Balmaseda (Enfermedades de las aves 6 Ensayo sobre Patornitologia y consideraciones sobre Higiene Publica en la Isla de Cuba. Havana, 1889) cites two species: "Zxodes reticulatus" (pp. 272 and 275) on cattle, and "Zxodes ricinus" (p. 272) on dogs.
G. Neumann (M6m. Soc. Zool. France) records Rhipicephalus annulatus (1897, p. 412) ; R. bursa (1897, p. 393) ; Amblyomm,a cajennense (1899, p. 208); A. tubercu- latum (1899, p. 236) ; A. albopictum (1899, p. 244) ; Rhipi- cephalus annulatus, typical (1901, p. 279) ; and R. annu- latus var. microplus (1901, p. 280).
C. W. Stiles and A. Hassall (U. S. Dept. Agric., Bur. Anim. Ind., Circ. No. 34, 1901, p. 3) cite Boophilus australis as present in Cuba.
Nuttall, Warburton, Cooper and Robinson (A Monograph of the Ixodoidea, 1908-1926) repeat in part the records given by Neumann.
A publication issued by the Secret. Agric. Com. y Trab., Habana, (Circ. No. 57, 1919, p. 7) states that "Boophiius annulatus or Margaropus annulatus" is the most common species.
N. S. Mayo (First Annual Rept. Agric. Exp. Sta. Cuba, 1906, p. 44) lists from Cuba Dermacentor nitens, Margar- opus annulatus, and M. annulatus australis; and later (Sec- ond Rept. Agric. Exp. Sta. Cuba, 1909, p. 27), he also men- tions Rhipicephalus texanus as a Cuban species on dog. 'Translated, from the original Spanish MS, by J. Bequaert. Pu&e 41:IJ-18 (1934). hup //psyche cnlclub org/41/41-011 html



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14 Psyche [March
W. A. Hooker (Jl. Econ. Entom., 11, 1909, p. 415) gives a list of the ticks known at the time from Cuba. He repeats most of the previous records and includes the following species of which he saw Cuban specimens in the collection of the U. S. Bureau of Entomology: Amblyomma albopic- turn, Argm miniatus, Margaropus annulatus, Ornithodoros margiwtzis (Banks, MS. name).
In 1910 (Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, XII, p. 6), N. Banks describes Ornithodoros marghatus, from a cave in the Guanajay Mountains, Cuba (collected by Palmer and Riley), and also from a West Indian bat (collected by Bar- rett, probably in Porto Rico).
The foregoing data might call for some discussion, but I prefer to give the following brief summary. 1. "Ixodes reticulatus"=Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabr., 1794). It is evident that Balmaseda used this name for the ticks he found on cattle, because "Ixodes reticulate" is the best known tick name. The presence of this species in Cuba could only be explained as accidental, through in- troduction with cattle from Europe. Given this possibility and in view of its origin, this species should be struck out from the Cuban list.
2. "Ixodes ricinus"=Ixodes ricinus (Lin., 1758). Up to the present the occurrence of this tick in the island has not yet been positively established. It seems certain that Bal- maseda cited it only because he was familiar with the name. I mention the foregoing two species only because they have appeared in print.
3. Amblyomma albopictum Neumann, 1899. The occur- rence of this tick in Cuba has been confirmed. 4. Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787). This species is very common in Cuba.
5. Amblyomma tuberculatum Marx, 1894.
This tick was
collected by Gundlach and identified by Neumann. Dr. Be- quaert is of the opinion that Gundlach obtained his speci- mens off gopher turtles brought to Cuba from the United States, where the species is indigenous. In view of this,
this tick must be eliminated from the Cuban list.



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19341 Ticks of Cuba 15
6. Rhipicephcdus annulatus, R. annulatus var. micro plus, and Boophilus australis all refer to Boophilus microplus (Canestrini 1888), in so far as the species of Cuba is con- cerned.
7. "Margaropus annulatus or Boo philus annulatus." I
have searched for this tick with special care, examining lots coming from many different parts of the island, but I have never seen it. If it occurs on cattle imported from the United States, it must be very rare.
8. Dermacentor nitens Neumann, 1897.
The occurrence
of this tick in Cuba is certain.
9. Argas minwtus Koch, 1844.
This name is now re-
garded as a synonym of Argas persicus (Oken, 1818), which is well known as a Cuban tick.
10. Ornithodoros marginatus N. Banks, 1910. Dr. Be-
quaert, who saw cotypes in Mr. Banks' collection at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass., in- forms me that it is an extremely remarkable species. As
Mr. Banks states, it is "readily known from all other species by the row of tufted humps on margins of body." It probably
is peculiar to West Indian caves, where it doubtless feeds on bats.
11. Rhipicephalzu bursa Canestrini and Fanzago, 1877. This is mainly a tick of the Old World, where it is found on cattle, horses and other hosts. It is rather similar to R. sanguineus, and it is possible that the specimens seen by Neumann from Cuba were that species and not the true R. bursa. In any case, the record needs confirmation and I do not therefore include the species in my list. It should be noted that Neumann did not mention R. sanguineus from Cuba.
12. Rhipicephalus texanus N. Banks, 1908. The correct identity of this species is open to question. The Cuban specimens which Mayo referred to it, were, however, be- yond doubt R. sanguineus, the common dog-tick of the is- land.
I shall now give a list of the species of ticks at present positively known to occur in Cuba, with the hosts on which they may be found, as well as the localities.



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16 Psyche
[ March
IXODOIDEA Banks, 1894
I. Argantidse Agassiz, 1846
G. Argas Latreille, 1796
1. A. persicus (Oken, 1818) Fischer, 1827.-Host: Gallus gallus. Localities : Provinces of Havana, Matanzas, and Santa Clara. This species has been known in the is- land for many years. The country-people call it and its larvae "garr~pa~tillas." As in other countries, it has been shown rather frequently in Cuba that this parasite trans- mits spirochetosis of poultry.
G. Ornithodoros Koch, 1844
2. 0. megnini (Dug&, 1883) Neurnann, 1896. Host: Equus caballus. Locality : Province Havana. It does not appear to be common. I have only encountered it once, on a native horse, and I cannot assure that it is actually in- digenous. If it is shown later not to be indigenous, it should be struck out from the list.
3. 0. marginatus Banks, 1910. Locality : Guanajay Mountains, Prov. Pinar del Rio.
It is restricted to bats.
Two larvae, possibly of this species, were taken by Mr. P. Bermudez off a bat, Eumops glaucinus (Wagner), at Caibarien, Prov. Santa Clara.
11. Ixodidas Murray, 1877
G. Dermacentor Koch, 1844
4. D. nitens Neumann, 1897.-Hosts:
Equus cuballus,
Bos tuurus, and also Epicrates angulifer Bibron. Localities : Provinces of Havana, Pinar del Rio, Santa Clara, Matanzas, and Camaguey. This tick was first recorded from Cuba by N. S. Mayo (1906). It is widely distributed over the entire island. I have found it parasitizing indiscriminately equines and bovines, but more particularly the former, in the ears, in the region of the anus and perineum. I have found it also once on a "Majii de Santa Maria" (Epicrates angulifer) captured at Calabazar de Sagua (Prov. Santa Clara).
G. Rhipicephalus Koch, 1844
5. R. sanguineus (Latr., 1806) Koch, 1844.-Host : Canis familiaris. Localities: Provinces of Havana, Ma-



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19341 Ticks of Cuba 17
tanzas, and Santa Clara. This is the common dog-tick of Cuba, widely distributed, probably, over the entire island. I have not seen it outside the provinces mentioned. G. Boophilus Curtice, 1891
6. B. microplus (Canestrini, 1888). Hosts : Bos tau&, Equus caballus.
Localities: Provinces of Havana, Matan-
zas, Pinar del Rio, Santa Clara, and Camaguey. This spe- cies has been recorded by various investigators (Neumann, Stiles, Bequaert). It is the common tick of our cattle. I
have taken specimens from deer ("venado") , Odocoileus viwimanus, at Artemisa, Prov. Pinar del Rio. G. Amblyomma Koch, 1844
7. A. cajennense (Fabr., 1787) Koch, 1844. Hosts: Equus caballus, Bos taurus. Localities: Provinces of Ha- vana, Pinar del Rio, and Santa Clara. This. as well as Boo- philus microplus and Dermacentor nitens, are our most common ticks, which parasitize cattle.
8. A. albopictum Neumann, 1899. Host: Cyclura mac- leayi Gray. Locality: Province of Havana. The species was first described by H. Lucas (1852; as Ixodes vuriega- tus), from specimens collected near Havana by Gundlach. The present author has also found it.
9. Amblyomma species? (near scutatum Neumann, 1899). Hosts : Bufo peltacephalus Tschudi (vernacular name : "sapo") , Cyclura macleayi Gray. Localities : Prov- inces of Havana (Laguna de Ariguanabo) and Oriente (San German ; collected by M. Jaume) . The true identity of this tick is as yet undecided. According to Dr. Bequaert, it is quite different from A. dissimile Koch, and possibly repre- sents an undescribed species.
10.
A. torrei, new species. Host : Cyclura macleayi Gray (carinata of authors ; vernacular name "iguana"). Locality : Province of Havana.
Description : Amblyomma.
Male: Length, 3.2 mm.; greatest width, 3 mm. Body slightly oval, without marginal groove ; cervical groove short and deep; eyes of median size, not orbited, quite ap- parent ; scutum convex, ornate ; eleven quadrangular. fes- toons ; five ventral plates ; dentition 3 :3.



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18 Psyche [March
Scutum convex; color pale chestnut, with two large and continuous pale spots, placed symmetrically on each side ; each spot occupying about one-third of the total length, and extending without interruption from the outer half of the scapular angles to the first two festoons. The pale chest- nut fringe extends without interruption from the internal half of the scapular angle to the festoons 3-7, narrowing in its posterior two-thirds like a belt, and continuing without interruption, but with a very irregular inner border, along the margin to the eye. In the pale areas there is a narrow green band, which in the center is of a pale porcelanous violet color and toward the outside with a yellowish tinge and small green spots. Festoons as wide as long. Dorsum with fine, uniformly distributed punctures. Venter glabrous; genital orifice slightly anterior to coxa I1 ; anus one-third of the total length from the hind margin. Stigma1 plate subtriangular, with rounded angles. Five ventral plates, nearly circular, placed approximately oppo- site the festoons 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Coxa I with one trian- gular, median spur and another short spur, a little project- ing from a broad base. Coxa I1 with a triangular spur, but smaller than that of coxa I. Coxa I11 with a spur similar to that of coxa 11, and a slightly marked projection on its base. Coxa IV with a spur similar to that of coxa 111, and a projection or raised portion, slightly marked at the base. Tarsi gradually attenuated. Capitulum 1.2 mm. long; ba- sis capituli 0.56 mm. long and 0.76 mm. wide. Palpi 0.8 mm. long; segment I short; segment 11, 0.32 mm. long; seg- ment 111, 0.24 mm. long; segment IV rudimentary. Hypos- tome dentition 3:3.
Female : Unknown.
The species is dedicated to the learned Naturalist, Dr. Carlos de la Torre y Huerta.
[Note.-The collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology contains two males of A. torrei, taken off Cyclura macleayi Gray, in the valley of Luiz Lazo, Prov. Pinar del Rio, Cuba, by Dr. C. de la Torre and Dr. Thomas Barbour. I have compared them with a paratype, kindly sent by Dr. Vigueras, and they agree in every respect.-J. Bequaert.]



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