Cette image peut avoir des imperfections car il s’agit d’une image historique ou de reportage.
Dorsal view of a male Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum. This tick specie is a known vector for Rickettsial organisms, Rickettsia parkeri, and Ehrlichia ruminantium, formerly Cowdria ruminantium. R. parkeri is a member of the spotted fever group of rickettsial diseases affecting humans, while E. ruminantium causes "heartwater disease", an infectious, noncontagious, tick-borne disease of domestic and wild ruminants, including cattle, sheep, goats, antelope, and buffalo. Note the considerably-larger scutum, or "shield" covering this male's entire dorsal abdomen, unlike its female counterpart, an example of which can be seen in PHIL 10876 (replace with PR #), which sports a scutum covering only a small caudad section of her dorsal abdomen just behind her head. The smaller scutum in the female enables its abdomen to expand considerably, leading to an engorged appearance after ingesting its host blood meal. Ticks possess four pairs of legs, placing it in the class of Arachnida, as its cousins, the spiders and scorpions.
