Tick Identification Ticks of Florida: • A good tick key is needed – Google is making this easier, but beware of Google Image Basic Identification • Helpful to know – Where the tick was collected – From what animal – What time of year Phillip E. Kaufman Initial questions to ask: Entomology & Nematology Department 1. Is it a hard or soft tick? University of Florida a. Sometimes an engorged hard tick may appear as a soft tick 2. What is the life stage: larva, nymph or adult? a. Critical for use of most ID keys b. Unfed much easier to ID than engorged Metastigmata: Ticks Evolutionary Relationships between Ticks Ixodinae Ixodes (243 spp.) Amblyomminae Amblyomma (130 spp.) Characterized by… Prostriata Ixodidae Borthriocrotoninae Bothriocroton (7 spp.) 702 species • No distinct head Metastriata Haemaphysalinae Haemaphysalis (166 spp.) – mouthparts (palpi & hypostome) + basis capituli = capitulum (head-like structure) Hyalomminae Hyalomma (27 spp.) Nutalliellidae Nuttalliella (1 sp.) Nosomma (2 spp.) • 4 pairs of legs, except larvae (3 pr.) 1 species Argasinae -- Argas (61 spp.) Rhipicephalinae Dermacentor (34 spp.) • 1 pr. simple eyes, or eyeless Ornithodorinae -- Ornithodoros (112 spp.) Cosmiomma (1 spp.) Rhipicephalus (82 spp.) • Stigmata located behind the 4th pair of legs Otobinae -- Otobius (2 spp.) Argasidae Anomalohimalaya (3 spp.) • Scutum = plate that covers dorsum 193 species Antricolinae -- Antricola (17 spp.) Rhipicentor (2 spp.) – patterns, colors, and shape often species specific Margaropus (3 spp.) Nothoaspinae -- Nothoaspis (1 sp.) Margaropus (3 spp.) Soft vs. Hard Tick Morphology Ixodidae = Hard ticks Argasidae Ixodidae • 1 pr. Spiracles latero-ventrally on abdomen near 3rd. Soft Ticks Hard Ticks and 4th leg bases Sexual Slight Differential scutum size and dimorphism markings • Festoons = along posterior sub-marginal area of dorsum, thought to help in expansion and contraction Head Capitulum Ventral: Not seen from Anterior: Can see from above above in unbloodfed ticks • Anal groove = may show location of anus; either in Palpi Leg-like w/subequal front, beside, or behind the anus segments Relatively rigid, varied forms Body Scutum Absent Present • Eyes (if present) are located on the lateral edges of Festoons Absent Generally present the scutum Eyes – if Super-coaxial folds Dorsal on sides of scutum • Mouthparts visible from above present • Females mate, feed, oviposit (1x) then die Legs Coxae No spurs Generally, 1+ spurs – 1K to 18K eggs 1 Family Ixodidae (hard ticks) Tick Lifestage Hypostome • Leg number A. americanum Palpus Nymph Capitulum – Larva = 6 Basis capituli – Nymph & Adult = 8 Eye Scutum • Genital pore Anus – Nymph – No Spiracle Anal groove – Adult - Yes Festoons A. americanum Male Ixodidae Black-legged or Deer tick Female Dorsal plate Ixodes scapularis covers only a portion of abdomen • Long mouthparts • No Festoons Anal groove • No Eyes • Anal groove is conspicuous Male and anterior to the anus Dorsal plate (posterior to anus in all other covers most/all hard ticks) – next slide of abdomen • Which of these is the female? Anal shield Ixodes scapularis Ixodes scapularis Anal Anal groove groove 2 Brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sangiuneus Rhipicephalus sangiuneus • Feeds on dogs in U.S. – Dogs and humans elsewhere in world • Short mouthparts • Hexogonal basis capituli • Scutum may have punctuations and grooves forming patterns – never w/white markings • Eyes present • Festoons present • Anal groove is posterior to anus and obvious • Anal plates in males are conspicuous Rhipicephalus sangiuneus Rhipicephalus sangiuneus Female Larva Nymph Male Cattle ticks Tropical or Southern cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) spp. Boophilus microplus • Regulatory species • Vector of Texas cattle fever (Bovine babesiosis) • Very short palpi • Eradicated from US in 1943 – Shorter than hypostome • Eyes present – But very small • Inornate and brown • Basis capituli: short and broad with rounded lateral margins. • Anal plate well developed & large in males Engorged • One host parasites of ungulates – Primarily cattle, but also deer, African antelope B. microplus Note: point Male Female 3 Cattle Tick Boophilus annulatus Boophilus Females B. annulatus B. microplus • Vector of Texas cattle fever (Bovine babesiosis) • Eradicated from US in 1943 + Ext. spur + Ext. spurs No spur No spurs No point Male Female American dog tick Dermacentor variabilis Dermacentor variabilis Female Male • Large ticks with complex patterns of white on scutum • Fairly short mouthparts • Basis capituli appears rectangular • Eyes present • 11 Festoons • Shape narrows toward head • Scutum highly ornate, but variable • No anal plates and anal groove is inconspicuous Amblyomma Lone star tick Amblyomma americanum • Long fragile mouthparts – segment 2 at least twice as long • Most common tick in North/Central Florida as segment 3 • Females w/ 1 large white spot at end of scutum – Only Ixodes has similarly long mouthparts • Males w/ 4 white spots on lateral sides of scutum • Eyes present – not in sockets and coloration on festoons • Anal groove obvious • Nymphs have no spots, with short scutum • Scutum usually with bright pattern • 3-host ticks, will attack humans in all stages • Very small anal plate • Vector Erlichiosis, RMSF and Tularemia • Worldwide distribution 4 Lone star tick Lone star tick Amblyomma americanum Amblyomma americanum Female Male Unengorged Nymph Engorged Nymph Female Male Gulf Coast tick Amblyomma maculatum • Female: • Adults on: cattle, horses, – Scutum is longer than deer, swine, coyotes, dogs, wide cats, etc. – Ornate, w/reddish-brown • Increasing importance as a markings over pale vector cream background • Range expansion?? • Male: • Unfed appears similar to – Oval, pale in color with D. variabilis, but mouthparts elongated reddish-brown are much longer in A. mottling maculatum Cayenne Tick Differentiating Males Amblyomma cajennense Lone star Gulf coast • Perhaps Southern FL, also Southern Texas • Very long mouthparts • Females: Tan-colored scutum that has dark markings creating the image of a pendant-like tan necklace • Males: Scutum coloration ranges from tan to golden- beige, often with rust-colored patches on dark-brown mottled striations 5 Tropical Bont tick Amblyomma variegatum Family Argasidae: Soft ticks Semi-engorged • Very large ticks female • Metallic coloration, • Integument is leathery, wrinkled, granulated particularly males • Head not visible from dorsal side, covered by dorsal • Vector several viruses, shield (Hood) heartwater disease • Eyes, if present, are on sides above 2nd coxae • Common throughout tropics • Most are parasites of nesting animals – birds and • Found on cattle on St. Croix, rodents. US Virgin Is. & other islands Male • Most feed multiple times as an adult, with repeated A. variegatum I. scapularis egg batches • Spinose ear tick is the exception to both of these rules. Spinose ear tick Tick ID Resources Otobius megnini • Keirans and Litwak. 1989. Pictorial key to the adults of • Gray to light-brown in color hard ticks, Family Ixodidae (Ixodida: Ixodoidea), East of the • Oval body with a Mississippi River. J. Med. Entomol. 26: 435-448. constriction midway • Only larvae, and 2 nymphal Unfed nymph • Ticks of Veterinary Importance: instars feed on 1 host http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT87208761/PDF • Well developed chelicerae • Has spines or thick bristles • Order: Interactive Program for Teaching Tick Morphology: all over body of nymph http://www.afpmb.org/teaching-cds • Found in North/South • Tick Encounter: America, Africa, and Asia http://www.tickencounter.org/tick_identification • Tick App: http://tickapp.tamu.edu/ Engorged nymph 6 .