Turicata soft tick

Family: Argasidae. Genus: Ornithodoros. Soft tick.

Soft-bodied tick without a dorsal scutum, with mouthparts not visible from above. Definitive species identification requires specialist examination.

Photographs and location alone may be insufficient for confirmation; use expert morphological examination when reliable species identification is required.

Photographs alone cannot always confirm this species. Geographic location and host are supporting context, not conclusive identification.

Soft ticks show limited external sexual dimorphism compared with hard ticks and can pass through multiple nymphal instars.

Multihost soft-tick life cycle with a larval stage and multiple possible nymphal instars before adulthood. Feeding is brief at nymphal and adult stages.

Exposure is linked more strongly to entering infested caves or burrows than to a simple outdoor season.

CDC associates this species with the south-central United States and caves; records also occur in Mexico.

Bites can be brief and unnoticed. This species is a confirmed vector of soft tick relapsing fever.

Dogs may be exposed in infested environments; veterinary and zoonotic significance should be assessed locally.

Confirmed vector of Borrelia turicatae, a cause of soft tick relapsing fever.

Use current public-health and veterinary guidance, avoid known tick habitats where practical, use suitable repellents or protective clothing, and check people and animals after exposure.

Remove attached ticks promptly using fine-tipped tweezers or an appropriate tick-removal tool. Seek medical or veterinary advice when symptoms or concerns arise.