Ruth Blunt

Applied Entomology and Parasitology at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham. Sutton Bonnington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UK

Figure 1. Dermacentor reticulatus showing the extent of its ornate scutum in unfed female (left) and male (right) ticks.

Ticks and tick-borne diseases of pets in the UK: risks to travellers

Hard ticks are so called because of a hard scutum or shield on their dorsal surface (Figure 1). The scutum covers the whole of the surface of the male tick but only one third (when unfed) or a small...