Brown Dog Tick

Order/family: Acari/Ixodidae

Scientific Name: Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Description: The brown dog tick is uniformly red-brown and 1/8” long when not engorged. It’s mouthparts are easily seen when viewed from above. The body is flattened and shaped like a tear drop. The female’s shield-like area remains unchanged, but the rest of her body stretches and changes from red-brown to blue-gray, and body size increases 1/2” as she engorges herself with blood while feeding. The male has tiny pits scattered over the back. The adults have festoons, rectangular areas divided by grooves, along the posterior end of the abdomen. 

Blacklegged ticks (Deer ticks)

Order/family: Acari/Ixodidae

Scientific Name: Ixodes scapulars

Description: Backlogged ticks are hard ticks, 1/16” to 1/8” long, and orange-brown except for the dark reddish-brown head, shield behind the head and legs. Their mouthparts are easily seen when viewed from above. Their bodies are flattened and shaped like a tear drop. The female’s shield-like area remains unchanged, but the rest of her body stretched and becomes darker as she engorges with blood while feeding. Backlogged ticks do not have festoons, rectangular areas divided by groove, along the posterior end of their abdomens. Unlike the adults that have eight legs, the larvae have six legs and are 1/32” long. The eight-legged nymphs are 1/16” long when unfed.