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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Mites and Ticks (Acari) » Parasitiformes » Ticks (Ixodida) » Hard Ticks (Ixodidae) » Ixodes » Black-legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis)

Species Ixodes scapularis - Black-legged Tick

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Remarks · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Male Deer Tick? - Ixodes scapularis - male Tick - Ixodes scapularis Deer Tick - Ixodes scapularis - female Ixodes scapularis - male Tick - Ixodes scapularis Deer Tick - Ixodes scapularis - male Deer Tick - Ixodes scapularis Black-legged Tick - Ixodes scapularis - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Subclass Acari (Mites and Ticks)
Superorder Parasitiformes
Order Ixodida (Ticks)
Family Ixodidae (Hard Ticks)
Genus Ixodes
Species scapularis (Black-legged Tick)
Other Common Names
Deer Tick, Bear Tick (per MDH)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Ixodes scapularis Say, 1821
Ixodes dammini is a syn. of I. scapularis per Oliver et al (1993)
Explanation of Names
scapularis - Latin for 'of, having to do with the shoulder blade'
Identification
Nymph


Female


Male
Range
e. NA (TX-FL-ME-MN + Can & Mex) - Map - CDC
Habitat
Found along game trails, paths, and roadways where people or animal tranverse; they wait on vegetation (1)
Season
Adults are more prevalent in fall and early winter (1)
Food
Larvae and nymphs feed on rodents and reptiles; adults on large animals (1)
Remarks
Lyme disease was first recognized in 1975 as a distinct clinical disorder (Steere et al. 1977) and is currently the most frequently reported vector-borne disease in the United States (CDC 1995). Transmission occurs by the bite of Ixodes ticks. In the US, the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say affects the greatest number of people. (Patnaude and Mather 2013)

This species has long mouth parts and inflicts a painful bite (1)

Can transmit anaplamosis to cattle and prioplasmosis to dogs (1)
Print References
Center for Disease Control. 1995. Lyme disease-United States, 1994. Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report 44: 459-462.
Oliver JH, Owsley MR, Hutcheson HJ, James AM, Chen CS, Irby WS, Dotson EM, MClain DK 1993. Conspecificity of the ticks Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes dammini (Acari, Ixodidae) Journal of Medical Entomology 30: 54-63.
Steere AC, Taylor E, Malawista SE, Snydman DR, Shope RE, Andiman WA, Ross MR, Steele FM. 1977. Lyme arthritis: an epidemic of oligoarticular arthritis in children and adults in three Connecticut communities. Arthritis Rheumatism. 20: 7-17.
Internet References
Featured Creatures - Michael R. Patnaude, University of Florida, and Thomas N. Mather, University of Rhode Island, 2013
Blacklegged Ticks - Minnesota Department of Health
TickEncounter Resource Center - Univ. Rhode Island
live images of larva, nymph, adults - Iowa State U., 1996
Works Cited
1.Eastern Forest Insects
Whiteford L. Baker. 1972. U.S. Department of Agriculture · Forest Service.
Contributed by tom murray on 7 January, 2006 - 7:58pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, Lynette Elliott, Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn, Ben Coulter, kschnei, Marci Hess
Last updated 12 July, 2023 - 12:52pm

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