helianthus_annika's Identifications

This was one of 4 ticks we found on our clothing while walking on county trails through flower-filled meadows and grasslands.

Ticks are arthropods in the Arachnids (Arachnida) Class and Hardbacked Ticks (Ixodidae) family.
Arachnids are NOT insects. Arachnids are joint-legged invertebrate animals that have 8 legs and 2 body segments, the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Arachnids includes, among others, spiders, TICKS . . .

Field Guide to Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States, RJ Adams and T. Manolis, 2014, p. 3.

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TICKS--Examples of 4 species of Hardbacked Ticks (Ixodidae) family on the Central Coast of California:

Western Black-legged Tick (Ixodes pacificus) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/205460117
BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Ixodes+pacificus

Pacific Coast Tick (Dermacentor occidentalis)
BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Dermacentor+occidentalis
Female shoulder plate is beige, giving it a two-tone appearance from a distance: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/203034491
Male is more spotted and has less pronounced shoulder plate than female: BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/node/view/96854
Male: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/220817014
Female and male (smaller female is on top) BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/node/view/909245

American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis) is found EAST OF THE ROCKIES

Western Dog Tick (Dermacentor similis)
Western Dog Tick (Dermacentor similis) Per INat odhentomologist:
"A few years ago it was determined that all the American Dog Ticks on the west coast (previously identified as D. variabilis) are actually a different species from the ones in the east and should be identified as D. similis."
Entomology Today "Study Shows American Dog Ticks in Western U.S. Are a Separate Species": https://entomologytoday.org/2021/08/25/american-dog-ticks-western-new-species-dermacentor-similis/
BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Dermacentor+similis

Ticks are in the Arachnids (Arachnida) Class. Arachnids are joint-legged invertebrate animals in the Arthropods (Arthropoda) phylum that have 8 legs and 2 body segments, the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Ticks have 8 legs, each with 7 segments. Each leg tip has a pair of claws--that's 14 hooks to latch onto prey. After hatching from the egg, a tick must obtain a blood meal at every stage to survive. Ticks can transmit a variety of bacterial diseases via their saliva into people. Ticks can feed on mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. They wait on the ends of plants or shrubs until they are brushed off onto unsuspecting prey. Ticks of different species "don’t prey on each other. They are often found together, questing for hosts." INat trailblazr

Tick tupperware cups are handy to have in the field so you can photograph the tick before it gets away. I buy 12 for $1.25 at the Dollar Store. Medical providers can offer more precise diagnosis and treatment if you bring in the tick that was imbedded in your body.

INaturalist Projects for Tick observations: Medically-Important Arthropods
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/medically-important-arthropods
and https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/investickations

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INSECTS AND SPIDERS

Arachnids are NOT insects. Arachnids are joint-legged invertebrate animals in the Arthropods (Arthropoda) phylum that have 8 legs and 2 body segments, the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Arachnids (Arachnida Class) includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vinegaroons.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020, pp. 3-14.
(Includes spider anatomy, web types)

BugGuide: Arthropods: Photos of Insects, Spiders & Their Kin (US & Canada), clickable categories or use search bar (scientific name): https://bugguide.net/node/view/3/bgpage

Field Guide to Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States, RJ Adams and Tim Manolis, 2014

Spiders in Your Neighborhood: A Field Guide, Revised and Expanded Paperback, 2022, Patrick Stadille

Spider Eye Arrangements (for each family) Lynette Elliott: https://bugguide.net/node/view/84423