Page 42 - Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine Mar-Apr2023

TWO CLUES TO HELP IN TICK organs. A dorsal shield, or scutum, further covers
IDENTIFICATION the tick’s back. The coloration and patterning on

“When I’m identifying a tick, I use two main the shield differs among species and sexes, and
characteristics. I look at the coloration and shield size varies between males and females.
patterning on the back, and the length of the Ticks are arachnids, more closely related to
mouthparts. Shape isn’t very helpful in iden- spiders than they are to insects. Unlike insects,
tification because it changes based on the ticks do not have a segmented body and lack a
amount the tick has fed. Even a slightly fed tick distinct head. Instead, what we think of as the
will start to expand.” head are actually mouthparts.
“Hard ticks” are the most likely encoun- “After I’ve looked at the coloration and pat-
tered group of ticks. These ticks have a hard terning on the dorsal shield, I typically look at
but expandable outer layer that protects their the length of the mouthparts. The American dog

JAMES GATHANY/CDC
Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma maculatum)

Adult Male Adult Female

Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum)

Adult Male Adult Female

The coloration and size of the dorsal shield can help in tick identification. The shield of both male and female Gulf Coast ticks (top) are mottled
whereas the shield of a male lone star tick (bottom left) is mostly unmarked with white dots on the bottom edge of the tick, and the shield of a
female lone star tick (bottom right) is marked with a single dot at the base of the shield. The shield covers the majority of the body in males of
both species and only covers the front of the body in females of both species.

40 OUTDOOR OKLAHOMA