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Are You Sure It's A Tick?

Ticks are arachnids like spiders. Below, we list some of the main features of a tick to help you identify what may be a tick before moving forward with a tick submission.

The scutum is a hardened plate on the back of the tick. It can have patterns or colors that are useful when identifying different species of ticks.

scutum
A male tick (right) has a scutum (a.k.a. shield) that takes up most of the body, while in the female (left), as well as in the nymphs and larvae, the scutum covers only the part of the tick closest to the mouthparts. Nymphs and adult ticks have 4 pairs of legs but the tiny larvae have 3 pairs. Pictured is the brown dog tick, an invasive tick species that can survive indoors (photo credit Andrea Egizi, PhD).

The mouthparts of the tick (their size and shape) can also be useful for identifying tick species.

Close-up of tick mouthparts

mouth parts
The tick’s mouthparts include the hypostome and palps. The hypostome enters the skin and draws up the blood. The palps do not enter the body when feeding, splaying out to the side while embedded to its host. This photo is a close up of a blacklegged tick (photo credit Andrea Egizi, PhD).

Ticks have 3 different life stages that vary in size. The first stage is called a larva, after a blood meal the larva becomes a nymph, after a blood meal the nymph becomes an adult - either male or female. The features used to identify ticks can vary by life stage.

ticks at different life stages
Photo is of a female blacklegged tick (left) next to a sesame seed. On top of the sesame seed is a blacklegged tick nymph (photo credit Jim Occi, PhD).
ticks at different life stages
An illustration of relative sizes of several ticks at different life stages (photo credit CDC Tick Image Gallery).

Common non-ticks often mistaken for ticks! This is not a comprehensive list

Arachnids
Clover Mites
Crab Spider
Pseudoscorpion
Insects
Bed Bug
Japanese Beetle
Brown marmorated stink bug
Cranberry Weevil
Varied Carpet Beetle
Smooth Spider Beetle
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