What does a tick larva look like? - briefly
A tick larva is a minuscule, oval-shaped organism measuring about 0.2 mm, with a translucent to reddish‑brown coloration and six visible legs. Its body is smooth, lacking the hardened scutum seen in later stages.
What does a tick larva look like? - in detail
A tick larva is the earliest free‑living stage after hatching from the egg. It measures approximately 0.2–0.5 mm in length, making it barely visible to the naked eye. The body is elongated and oval, divided into two main regions: the gnathosoma (mouthparts) at the anterior end and the idiosoma (the main body) behind it.
Key morphological features include:
- Six legs, each ending in a pair of tiny claws that enable attachment to host hair or fur.
- A smooth, soft cuticle lacking the hardened plates (scutum) found on later stages such as nymphs and adults.
- Simple, unsegmented palps and chelicerae adapted for piercing the host’s skin.
- Small, inconspicuous eyespots (ocelli) located near the anterior margin, often invisible without magnification.
- A dorsal surface covered by fine setae (hair‑like structures) that give a slightly fuzzy appearance under a microscope.
Coloration varies among species but generally ranges from pale yellow to light brown, reflecting the lack of pigment accumulation at this stage. The ventral side is similarly pale, with no distinct markings.
When observed under a stereomicroscope at 40–100× magnification, the larva exhibits a transparent to semi‑opaque quality, allowing internal organs such as the gut to be faintly seen. The mouthparts are proportionally large relative to the body, facilitating rapid blood uptake during the brief feeding period, which typically lasts from a few hours to one day before the larva detaches and seeks a sheltered environment for molting.