What do currant ticks look like? - briefly
Currant ticks are tiny, reddish‑brown arachnids about 1–2 mm in length, possessing a flattened, oval body with six visible dorsal legs. They appear as minute specks on currant vines, commonly near leaf joints and branch nodes.
What do currant ticks look like? - in detail
Currant ticks are small arachnids, typically measuring 2–3 mm in length when fully engorged. Their bodies are oval, slightly flattened laterally, and covered with a fine, silvery‑gray to light brown pubescence that gives a dusty appearance. The dorsal shield (scutum) is smooth, lacking distinct markings, and may display faint longitudinal striations in mature females.
Key visual traits include:
- Coloration: Unfed individuals appear pale yellow‑white; after feeding, the abdomen expands and turns reddish‑brown to dark brown, often with a glossy sheen.
- Legs: Eight legs are slender, jointed, and proportionally long compared to the body, each segment bearing fine hairs that aid in sensory detection. The legs are uniformly colored, matching the body’s overall hue.
- Mouthparts: The capitulum (head region) is short, with a pair of chelicerae and a hypostome that protrudes slightly when the tick is attached to a host.
- Eyes: No eyes are present, a characteristic shared with most ixodid ticks.
- Sexual dimorphism: Males are generally smaller, with a less pronounced abdomen, and possess a more tapered posterior end.
During the larval stage, the tick is markedly smaller (≈0.5 mm), translucent, and lacks the robust scutum seen in adults. Nymphs resemble miniature adults, sharing the same coloration pattern but with a proportionally larger scutum relative to their bodies.
These morphological details enable reliable identification in field surveys and laboratory examinations.