Blacklegged Tick (Female)

If you've ever wondered what the ventral side of a tick looks like, here you go! On the underside, the upper, central opening between the fourth pair of legs is called the genital aperture. The lower central opening is the anus. The two whitish circular openings underneath the fourth legs are the spiracular plates. The genital aperture and anus are fairly self-explanatory due to their names. The spiracular plates contain spiracles through which the ticks breathe. Interestingly, larval ticks do not have spiracular plates, but rather they breathe through their skin. Nymphal and adult ticks do have spiracular plates, and they are able to control the opening/closing of their spiracles using muscles and hemolymph (blood) pressure. Ticks have a very delicate balance to maintain between their need to open their spiracles to breathe, but not have them open long enough to desiccate. Luckily for them, they can close their spiracles for long periods of time and survive without any oxygen exchange. This tick is an adult, female blacklegged tick. They have black heads and dorsal shields, dark red abdomens, and 8 legs.