Details - Public Health Image Library(PHIL)

ID#:

9972

Caption:

Magnified 23X, this scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image depicted a dorsal view of an engorged female tick, which had been extracted from a pet cat. Note the presence of some of the cat’s fur, along with some of its skin tissue in which the tick’s gnathosoma was embedded, while it had been obtaining a blood meal. Also worthy of note, is the subtle demarcation of the scutum, or chitinous shield on the tick’s back, signifying that this was, indeed, a female. Note in PHIL 9959 and 9960, that the entire dorsum of that tick’s abdomen was covered by its scutum, categorizing it as a male. In female Ixodid-species ticks, the scutum only partially covers the dorsal abdomen. Ticks belong to the phylum Arthropoda, and the class Arachnida.

High Resolution:

Click here for hi-resolution image (5.48 MB)

Content Provider(s):

CDC/ Callie Carr

Creation Date:

2006

Photo Credit:

Janice Haney Carr

Links:

Categories:

CDC Organization