What do tick babies look like? - briefly
Tick larvae are microscopic, about 0.5 mm long, with a translucent or pale‑brown, flattened oval body and six legs. They lack the hard shield of adult ticks and appear as tiny specks of dust.
What do tick babies look like? - in detail
Tick larvae, often called “seed ticks,” are the first active stage after hatching from eggs. They measure approximately 0.5 mm in length, roughly the size of a grain of sand. Their bodies are oval and smooth, lacking the hardened plates (scutum) seen on later stages. The coloration ranges from pale amber to light brown, sometimes appearing translucent under magnification.
Key visual characteristics include:
- Size: 0.4–0.6 mm long; 0.2–0.3 mm wide.
- Shape: Flattened, elongated oval; dorsoventrally compressed.
- Surface texture: Soft, hairless cuticle; no visible segmentation.
- Color: Light amber, yellowish‑brown, occasionally whitish when newly emerged.
- Appendages: Six legs, each bearing tiny claws and a pair of sensory organs (palps). Legs are proportionally long relative to the body, giving the larvae a delicate appearance.
Under a dissecting microscope, the legs are clearly visible as slender, banded structures extending from the anterior margin. The mouthparts are concealed beneath the body, with the hypostome not yet exposed. Because the larval cuticle is thin, the internal organs are faintly visible, giving a semi‑transparent look that aids identification.
In contrast to nymphs and adults, larvae lack a distinct dorsal shield and are unable to engorge to a size larger than their original dimensions. Their limited size and translucent quality make them difficult to detect on hosts without magnification.