Electronic Helpdesk

Helpdesk Home

MG Site Home

Ticks, Identification

How do you identify a tick?

All ticks have eight legs in the adult stage, but have six legs as newly hatched larvae. Small ticks of all species are called seed ticks, a common name that does not refer to one particular species.  The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, is about 5 mm long with short stout mouthparts. It is dark brown with light wavy lines or reticulations on its back.

The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, is about 5 mm in length or less with long mouthparts. It is light reddish-brown with a central white spot on the back of most of the adults.

The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, is about 5 mm long with short stout mouthparts. It is distinguished from the American dog tick by its dark reddish-brown color and lack of any white markings.

The deer tick, Ixodes scapularis^*, is a small tick about 2-3 mm in length with long mouthparts. It is off-white or reddish when fed and has black legs.

^* the deer tick until recently was known as Ixodes dammini.

Reference(s):