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deer tick
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A detailed illustration of a black-legged tick or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), showing its reddish-brown oval body and eight segmented legs spread outward. Diagram of the life cycle of the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), showing seasonal stages from engorged female laying eggs in spring, larva and nymph stages feeding on animal and human hosts in summer, and adult ticks on hosts in fall and winter. Arrows indicate progression through each stage, with illustrations of ticks and typical hosts such as deer, horses, dogs, and humans. Illustration showing eight types of mites and ticks, each labeled with their common and scientific names, including tropical rat mite, Opilioacarus texanus, Holothyrus legendrei, fur mite, black-legged tick, soil mite, itch mite, and American house-dust mite.
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deer tick

arachnid
Also known as: Ixodes scapularis, black-legged tick, blacklegged tick(Show More)
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A detailed illustration of a black-legged tick or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), showing its reddish-brown oval body and eight segmented legs spread outward.
Black-legged tick Illustration of a black-legged, or deer, tick (Ixodes scapularis).

The deer tick, also known as the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), is an arachnid found in eastern U.S. and Canada. It is a significant carrier of diseases, most notably Lyme disease. Ticks, in general, are obligate, blood-feeding parasites and surpass all other arthropods except mosquitoes in the number of diseases they transmit to humans.12

Ticks are arachnids with eight legs as nymphs and adults, and six legs in their larval stage. Their bodies are a single region, unlike the segmented bodies of spiders. Hard ticks, like the deer tick, attach to hosts and feed continuously for several days. After feeding, females lay eggs, and the larvae hatch, seeking a host to feed on before molting into nymphs, and then adults.2

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  3. lone star tick

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