Talk:Amblyomma americanum

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Mauramk.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 13:59, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Taxobox
I added a taxobox. Still need a picture. Gitman00 12:49, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

Namesake
I plan to edit this article by adding a new section labelled "Namesake" with the following sentence: "The name commonly used for this species--lone star tick--has its origins in a distinctive morphological feature exclusive to the adult female: a white, star-shaped spot or "lone star" on the tick's back." Mauramk (talk) 18:30, 30 October 2016 (UTC)

How large is this tick?
Informal but direct experience has shown me that this tick is smaller than most people might expect. The adult female tick is barely 1-2 mm in size. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.34.46.168 (talk) 00:08, 12 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Yea that's about right. Terminex says its about 1/4th inch in length HotshotCleaner (talk) 00:27, 12 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Seems inconsistent; 1/4 inch is more like 6 mm. 68.116.168.154 (talk) 15:44, 23 January 2012 (UTC)
 * According to an Oklahoma State university site, the tick "is about 1/8 inch long," or about 3 mm. __ Just plain Bill (talk) 17:25, 23 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Size varies even within individual ticks, and is contingent on whether the tick has recently fed. An unfed female tick is about 1/8th inch long, while a fully fed female tick can be to be up to 7/16 of an inch long and 3/8 of an inch wide. Mauramk (talk) 05:51, 12 October 2016 (UTC)

"Lone star tick" not capitized
Please see references listed under the general tick discussion page if you are in doubt: Talk:Tick —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.186.237.147 (talk) 18:36, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

RE: Lyme disease vector
"numerous vector competency tests have demonstrated that this tick is extremely unlikely to be capable of transmitting Lyme disease."

This statement needs a citation and/or possibly rewording. If cite 4 (Ledin et al.) is meant to support both this sentence and the next, I don't believe it does so. The few competency tests I have read about do seem to support the idea that Amblyomma americanum is **less** likely to transmit the vector for Lyme disease than Ixodes scapularis, but they don't establish that it is "extremely unlikely." 140.163.254.157 (talk) 15:18, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

Reverse effect on vegetarians needs approval
"There is also a reverse affect on vegetarians that causes a strong allergy to vegetables, and some fruits. Forcing those with strict anti-animal diets to consume nothing but meat." There is no clue to this in Thomas Platt-Mills research and I also did not find any approval on the internet. I have strong doubts whether this is correct since the bite of the tick only has an influence on the IgE antibodies to alpha-gal. There is no link to vegetables. Dennis Keck (talk) 09:10, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Missing Source in Distribution section/map in Taxobox
"It is very widespread in the United States ranging from Texas to central Wisconsin in the Midwest and east to the coast where it can be found as far north as Maine,[2] as far south as Guatemala, and sightings of this species have been reported in Québec, Colombia and Ecuador. It is most common in wooded areas, particularly in forests with thick underbrush, and large trees."

It's unclear whether the list of places outside the U.S. where this tick has been documented is comprehensive, a source needs to be provided. If additional research reveals that the tick has been found in additional countries, the image featuring global geographic distribution within the Taxobox will need to be updated as well.

I plan to add a new section for Range and Habitat, and to move the final sentence currently under Distribution to Range and Habitat.

Mauramk (talk) 04:24, 21 September 2016 (UTC)

Opening sentence
I think the opening sentence (posted below) should be rewritten: "Amblyomma americanum, or lone star tick, is a species of tick in the genus Amblyomma."

The reader could infer Amblyomma is the genus using binomial nomenclature. I plan to edit this first sentence with an unusual or interesting fact about the lone star tick, to quickly engage readers--possibly the morphological feature of mature female ticks that earned the species its name, currently mentioned in the section labelled "Namesake"? Mauramk (talk) 02:07, 17 October 2016 (UTC)

Range and Habitat
I plan to add a new section for Range and Habitat, with info about the habitats and ecological niches of the lone star tick.

Mauramk (talk) 02:26, 17 October 2016 (UTC)

Hurts
This Lone Star tick does indeed hurt! Also, it is very difficult to remove! I wish I could ad the pic of it embedded between my fingers after petting my dog. It rejected her because she takes monthly medication to prevent ticks, fleas or heart worms. 98.124.80.142 (talk) 00:25, 8 April 2023 (UTC)