Lyme Disease

Deer Tick (Ixodes Scapularis)

The deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) adult female, adult male, nymph, and larva on a centimeter scale. (Source: CDC)

Other names: Black-legged tick

Distribution: Found in the eastern coast of the United States, from Florida to central Texas in the south and from Maine to Minnesota and Iowa in the north.

Description: Adult deer ticks are red-brown in color and about 3mm in size.  Larvae and nymphs are considerably smaller and tend to be paler in color.

Habitat: Deciduous forest and habitat containing leaf litter.

Host animals: Humans, deer, dogs, small birds and rodents, etc.

Diseases Carried: Lyme disease, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis.

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