Image of American Levi tick

Description:

Under a low magnification of 49X, twice that of PHIL 9959, this scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted a dorsal view of an unidentified male Dermacentor sp. tick found upon a cat in the suburbs of Decatur, Georgia, which measured approximately 3.5mm from its gnathosoma (i.e., capitulum), which is where its mouthparts are located, to the distal abdominal margin. Note that the entire dorsum of this tick’s abdomen is covered by its tough scutum, or shield, categorizing it as a male, whereas, in female Ixodid-species ticks, the scutum only partially covers the dorsal abdomen. The ridges running along the distal abdominal border are known as festoons.
Created: 2006