A Tick

Images made through a microscope. All subject types.

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ralfwagner
Posts: 441
Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:34 am
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf
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A Tick

Post by ralfwagner »

Hello,

just prepared a tick (Ixodes ricinus, adult male) for microscopy:

- keeping the tick f0r 24 h in Ethanol, 70%
- maceration for 24 h in 15% KOH
- 24 h in 80% Lactic acid for clearing and softening
- washed with water
- mounted in in Hoyers Gum

Hoyers Gum:
Aqua dest. (g): 3,3
Chloralhydrat (g): 13,3
Glycerin (g): 1,3
Gummi arabicum (g); 2

Chloralhydrat helps in clearing the dark chitin parts of the tick.

Stitch consisting of 3 parts, each part is a stack of 80 pictures combined with ZereneStacker, oblique illumination

Image

Same tick after a ten minutes visit at Dr. GIMP :o :

Image

Mr.Stone
Posts: 156
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2011 6:17 am
Location: South Africa

Post by Mr.Stone »

Good Work here Ralf :)
Strange creatures these. While at a farm here i found quite a big specimen that attached himself to my leg, not giving it a second thought i pulled it off and the head remained, i then got "tick fever". Was not all that great :? But i learned my lesson :)

discomorphella
Posts: 607
Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2006 7:26 pm
Location: NW USA

Post by discomorphella »

Great job of clearing and mounting the tick. I usually use PVLG instead of Hoyers, since in the USA is it a bit difficult to obtain Chloral Hydrate (its considered a controlled substance). I had a large Dermocentor tick attach itself to my neck a few years ago (very painful, not subtle at all...). After I pried it out of my neck, the miserable parasite suffered a similar fate to yours; clearing in hydroxide, then phenol/lactic acid and then into PVLG. Also congratulations to Dr. Gimp, who has miraculously cured the injured leg :lol: .

David

ralfwagner
Posts: 441
Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:34 am
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf
Contact:

Post by ralfwagner »

Hello,

ticks are really strange, indeed.

Chloralhydrate is a controlled substance in Germany, too. But you can still buy it at your local pharmacist if you explain to him for what reason you want to use it.

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