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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Mites and Ticks (Acari) » Parasitiformes » Ticks (Ixodida) » Hard Ticks (Ixodidae)
Photo#220790
Tick - female
Copyright © 2008 Sam Houston

Tick - Female
Konawa, Seminole County, Oklahoma, USA
August 31, 2008
Size: 6mm (1/4")
Why is this tick discolored?
Are those eggs on it? I don't think they're phoretic mites because I don't see any legs on them.
I don't see the tell-tale spot so I don't think this is a Lone Star Tick.

Please help with ID.

Images of this individual: tag all
Tick - female Tick - female
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Contributed by Sam Houston on 1 September, 2008 - 10:52pm
Last updated 13 September, 2008 - 3:47pm

Tick eggs
It looks like those are eggs that this tick has laid which have gotten accidentally stuck to her. After laying their eggs, hard ticks proceed to die.
This discoloration may be internal wastes, primarily urea, which often becoe visible through the cuticle after engorgement. It could also be a side effect of dying.
This tick is unlikely to be either an Amblyomma or Dermacentor. I would guess Rhipicephalus, or possibly Ixodes. If you could provide a shot of the capitulum (head) or underside, I may be able to ID it for you. Did you find this inside? Do you have dogs?
… Jon Oliver, 2 September, 2008 - 8:44am login or register to post comments

 
....
Sorry, but no, I don't have anymore pics of it.
And no, it wasn't inside. I found it at my mothers house and she has one dog but has only had it for about three weeks. However, there are lots of coyotes, foxes, and the like all around.
… Sam Houston, 2 September, 2008 - 9:14pm login or register to post comments

Neat find!
Maybe some kind of parasite laid eggs on the tick? Or it blundered into a clutch of eggs which adhered to the tick's body.
… Scott Justis, 2 September, 2008 - 8:24am login or register to post comments

 
Ticks wax their eggs
before laying them, this prevents dessication. All neatly done by passing them over onto the dorsal surface, where they are waxed by the finger-like extensions of the Gene's organ. For more see my comments on this page.

There were some very perceptive observations/comments here!
… Maria Fremlin, 31 January, 2009 - 6:56am login or register to post comments

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