Hypostome (tick)

Barbed hypostome (center) of Ixodes holocyclus flanked by paired palps.

This article is about tick mouthparts. For structures in other animals, see Hypostome.

The hypostome (also called the maxilla, radula, or labium) is a calcified harpoon-like structure near the mouth area of certain parasitic arthropods including ticks, that allows them to anchor themselves firmly in place on a host mammal while sucking blood. This mechanism is normally so strong that removal of a lodged tick requires two actions: One to remove the tick, and one to remove the remaining head section of the tick.

See also

• Mandible (arthropod)