A proposed site of fluid secretion in the salivary gland of the ixodid tick<i>Dermacentor andersoni</i>

Abstract

The histology and ultrastructure of the salivary gland in Dermacentor andersoni are presented with particular emphasis on those aspects relating to fluid secretion. We suggest that the group III acinus contributes most of the fluid portion of the saliva (i.e. water and small molecules) and that the main cell-type involved is what we name the ‘water-cell’. The granule-cells possibly secrete the cement by which the tick secures its mouthparts to the host, and the ‘vacuolar cell’ possibly produces a protein-rich secretion. The function of the group I acinus remains obscure.