An opinion piece on South African tick diversity from #GTTM #Gertrud_#Gertrud_Theiler_Tick_Museum #National_Tick-Collection

#Ornithodoros_kalahariensis concentrating a blood meal

#Amblyomma_exornatum from monitor lizard

Molting mode ⏯️ #Amblyomma_hebraeum nymphs in the making.

This tick youngin has only 2/2ths 😉. Cut the mouthparts off, examined on glass slide in emersion oil, covered with glass cover slip, 100x oil emersion lens.

Mounted in Entellan #Gertrud_Theiler_Tick_Museum #GTTM #Haemaphysalis_eliptica

Unilateral rig😉 Ok. Unilateral adanal plate.

Interesting find from our last field trip #Haemaphysalis_aciculifer

Visitor to the #tick_museum: Ben Mans. #Gertrud_Theiler_Tick_museum #GTTM #National_tick_collection #South_Africa

The ornate cow tick / ornate dog tick / meadow tick / marsh tick #Dermacentor_reticulatus #ornate_ticks

#Amblyomma_sylvaticum the Cape tortoise 🐢 tick.

Here’s to 2025: May we all find funding, inspiration, and a few moments of peace amidst the deadlines.

May 2025 bring new goals, new achievements, fewer comments from Reviewer #2 and more 'accept with minor revisions'. #Rhipicephalus_pulchellus

Theileria spp. schizonts with pycnotic nuclei seen when sampling post mortem. These were not cause of death.

Cute little bugger. Natal forest tree frog endemic to the eastern coastal areas of South Africa.

The #Gertrud_Theiler_Tick_Museum #GTTM attended Science Forum South Africa, 3-6 Dec'24 @ CSIR International Convention Centre,Pretoria, South Africa. Representing the #National_tick_collection #National_helminth_collection #National_collection_insects_of_veterinary_importance

Glorified cattle. But I am biased. #African_buffalo

Tick collections from sheep from 6-9am in 40C heat 🥵🥵

Field work joys.

Crossing the species barrier. 🤔🤔🤔🤔

Third eye aligned. #Amblyomma-tholloni female ex African elephant, Kruger National Park. ZA.

The female of the species sporting a funky goaty. #Ixodes_pilosus-group