Gnathosoma

Ixodes hexagonus, a tick.

The gnathosoma (from Greek γνάθος, gnáthos = "jaw" and σώμα, sóma = "body") is the part of the body of the Acari (mites and ticks) comprising the mouth and feeding parts.[1] These are the hypostome, the chelicerae and the pedipalps.[2] It is also called the capitulum[3] (however, this word also has other meanings). It is separated from the main body of the animal (the idiosoma) by a flexible section of the cuticle called the circumcapitular furrow[3] or circumcapitular suture.[4]

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