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Order - Ixodida

Taxonomic Hierarchy for University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

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23 results for "Ixodida"

Common NameMoose tick; winter tick SeasonalityWinter ticks are most commonly encountered in fall and winter. Larvae hatch and begin questing (host seeking) from August to October. Winter ticks feed and stay on their hosts until March/April, when adult females detach and drop to the ground. Females die soon after laying eggs in June. Males may remain on their hosts until May (Samuel 2004). IdentificationAdult winter ticks are various shades of brown with grey patterning on their scutum (shield) (Cooley 1938). The rectangular basis capitulum (base of mouthparts) is wider than long, and the palpi are short and stout (Cooley 1938). The hypostome (piercing mouthpart) has three rows of dentition (teeth) on either side of the median. Spurs are present on all four pairs of coxae (base of legs) (Cooley 1938). The first pair of coxae (coxae I) have two spurs each. Coxae II and III also have two spurs each, although their internal spurs are always much shorter. Coxae IV only have one well-developed spur each. An adult winter tick has eleven festoons (marginal divisions) on the end of its body (Cooley 1938; Yunker et al. 1986). Adult winter ticks are distinguishable by rounded spiracular plates that consist of moderate numbers of large goblet cells (Cooley 1938; Yunker et al. 1986). Dorsal prolongations on the spiracular plates may or may not be present (Leo et al. 2010) (See images). It is difficult to identify larval and nymphal winter ticks based on morphology due to their small size.

Dermacentor andersoni

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Common NameRocky Mountain wood tick SeasonalityMost likely to be encountered, when attached to host, from late February to late summer and early fall. IdentificationDermacentor andersoni are brown ticks with a light silver-gray ornamentation on the dorsal scutum ('shield"), dorsal portions of the legs and on the basis capitulum ("mouthpart"). Adult female ticks are 2.8 to 5.4 mm long when unengorged and 13.8 mm to 16.5 mm long when engorged. The dorsal scutum ("shield") covers the anterior half of the idiosoma ("body"), while the posterior half of the idiosoma is brown coloured. The spiracular plates are oval shaped and have a long and thin dorsal prolongation. Adult male ticks are from 2.1 mm to 6.1 mm in length. The scutum covers the entire dorsal surface of the idiosoma. The spiracular plate has a more rounded shape, fewer goblets and a shorter dorsal prolongation than female ticks. The size and number of goblets on the spiracular plates differentiates the three Dermacentor species in Canada. Dermacentor andersoni have 100- 200 moderately sized goblets, D. albipictus have many large sized goblets, and D. variabilis have more than 300 small goblets. Dermacentor hunteri also has similar-sized and the same number of goblets as D. andersoni. However, D. andersoni is distinguished from D. hunteri by the large and deep punctuations of the scutum. Additionally, D. andersoni has a long and thin dorsal prolongation of their spiracular plates and have a reduced number of goblets near the dorsal prolongation. For both sexes, the goblets of D. andersoni are large in the middle and is surrounded by numerous pore-like structures in the peripheral region.