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I was recently bitten by a tick. After having removed it from my body, I put it in a glass. By now, it has stopped moving, so I put it under a microscope and looked at it. I was surprised about being unable to get a sharp image of its body (upper part in the images) – what could that be? And can someone help me identify it?

I found a picture of a tick with a somewhat transparent thing around its back here – maybe that's what made it hard for me to get a clear focus on the back? And maybe it's related to this one?

thing that bit me 1

It was found in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Its length is between 1.2mm and 1.4mm (I don't have anything that's very usable for precise measurement of such small lengths).

If clearer focus on a particular part of that thing is needed for identification, please tell me.

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  • $\begingroup$ Where geographically was it found, and how large is it? $\endgroup$
    – kmm
    Jun 25, 2013 at 17:00
  • $\begingroup$ @kmm: edited to address your questions $\endgroup$
    – thejh
    Jun 25, 2013 at 21:04

1 Answer 1

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As your link suggests, it looks like a female tick of the genus Ixodus. It is likely female because the scutum or shield only covers part of the dorsal surface. E.g.,

Female Ixodus

which comes from Bristol University Tick ID. The translucent posterior portion may just be from light passing through.

If you are able to zoom in closer on different parts, you can key out what species it is.

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