Tick ID!

Ornithodoros ticks are identified by the bumps on their backs known as mamillae. In order to tell the difference between an Ornithodoros parkeri or Ornithodoros turicata (two species commonly found in desert tortoise habitat), a researcher uses a microscope to examine the mamillae on their back. Ornithodoros parkeri have smaller and more mamillae than those found on O. turicata. Does identification of these ticks sound a little subjective? It does to us too, which is why we plan to use funds from this campaign to use molecular methods to look at the DNA of these ticks and identify them more objectively. Below is an image of an Ornithodoros parkeri collected from a tortoise. Microscopy was used to identify this tick.