Ticks infesting sheep and goats in the Sudan.

Very little work has been carried out on ticks infesting small ruminants in the Sudan. Of some 70 tick species recorded in the Sudan, 34 species of different genera were collected from sheep and goats, two belonging to the genus Amblyomma, seven to the genus Hyalomma, 22 to the genus Rhipicephalus and three to the genus Boophilus. Nevertheless, their distribution, the seasonal abundance and population dynamics are poorly studied. Particularly, the peculiar distribution of A. lepidum and A. variegatum in the Nuba mountains needs further study. The variable climatic conditions of the country and the importance of the animal wealth in the national economy are all factors that call for more efforts to study the tick problem in this country.