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Photo#188130
Brown Dog Tick - Rhipicephalus sanguineus - female

Brown Dog Tick - Rhipicephalus sanguineus - Female
Sarasota, Florida, USA
December 31, 1969
Size: 1.5 cm.
I found these ticks infesting a house very baddly. I believe these ticks are very common around this area.

Images of this individual: tag all
Brown Dog Tick - Rhipicephalus sanguineus - female Brown dog Tick - Rhipicephalus sanguineus - female

Moved
I also unlinked your male from your female. The male can be seen here. Linking is for images of the same specimen.

Moved
Moved from Hard Ticks.

Rhipicephalus sanguineus
Thanks for these excellent pictures of male R. sanguineus. The hexagonal head capsule, as you mentioned, is diagnostic for the genus. Additionally diagnostic are the plates present only on Rhipicephalus males on either side of the anus, discernable in the final photo. Bravo for a whole new genus of tick on BugGuide!

yep It looks like...caviar
Hi Eric thanx for your comments. I attached more pictures of some males. I hope is good enough to confirm It is a brown dog tick.
Regards

Caviar anyone?
I can't make out any distinguishing features in the photos, especially because the tick is engorged. However, as far as I know, the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) is the only North American Ixodid tick which can survive in houses indefinately. These ticks only rarely bite humans, but they might if the dogs were removed.

 
E-e-e-w:-)
The caviar comment is in reference to the many eggs this female has already laid around her....

 
Ovioposition
After seeing this very remarkable photo, I did a bit of Googling and found a couple of very interesting references.
First, in the book Tick-Borne Diseases of Humans, by Jesse L. Goodman, David Dennis, Daniel E. Sonenshine. page 30. it says:
"As the eggs exit the gonopore, the female bends its capitulum, capturing each egg with its mouth parts and passing it over onto the dorsal surface, where it is waxed by the finger-like extensions of the Gene's organ."

Second, in this paper, Modus operandi of oviposition in Dermacentor reticulatus (Acari: Ixodidae), by Sieberz J, Gothe R., Exp Appl Acarol. 2000 Jan;24(1):63-76, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10823358, there is a good oviposition description. [PDF]
Amazing ticks!

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