The hemocyte composition of adults of Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) Koch, 1844 adults consisted of three basic cellular types: prahemocyte I (PR I), plasmatocyte (PL) and spherulocyte (ES II). Among the ixodids observed (A. cajennense; A. dissimile Koch, 1844; Rhipicephalus sanguineus Latreille, 1806; Anocentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) Schulze, 1937; Boophilus microplus Canestrini, 1887 and Haemaphysalis sp.) only A. cajennense was different in the adult hemolymph colour. It changed from amber to deep blue as the ixodid age advanced. This fact could be associated with the presence of hemocyanin in the hemolymph and points out the need to develop further investigations about the Ixodidae hemolymph pratein composition as well as the function of all the types found in it. This information could aid the studies on ticks control.
Ixodidae; Amblyomma; ixodid; hemolymph; hemocyte