Ticks

Class Arachnida

Drawing of morphologic differences between soft ticks, Argasidae, and hard ticks, Ixodidae. The soft ticks are oval or pear-shaped and are rounded anteriorly, with mouth parts that are more easily seen from the ventral view. Some soft ticks are known to be a vector for the spirochetes responsible for causing Relapsing Fever. The hard ticks are involved with causing Lyme disease.