Ticks

Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum – Arthropoda
Subphylum – Chelicerata
Class – Arachnida
Order – Acari
Suborder – Ixodida
Families – Ixodidae (hard ticks), Agarasidae (soft ticks) and Nuttallielidae (one species in southern Africa)

There are approximately 900 species of ticks worldwide, with 21 species occurring in Illinois.

The 4 species that people in Illinois are likely to encounter are the American Dog tick, Black-legged tick, Lone Star tick, and Brown Dog tick. Recently the Gulf Coast Tick has begun invading southern Illinois.

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American Dog Ticks, (Dermacentor variabilis)
  • the most commonly encountered in Illinois
  • Adults active from April to September
  • can carry the pathogens for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia.
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    Black-legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis)
  • present year round
  • can carry the pathogens for Lyme disease, Babesiosis, and Anaplasmosis
  • All life stages of the Black-legged Tick will bite humans
  • also called Deer Tick.
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    Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum)
  • found from April through fall
  • all stages will bite humans
  • can carry the pathogens for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemia, and Erlichiosis.
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    Brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)
  • rarely bites humans
  • not an important carrier of diseases for humans
  • tropical species – unable to survive outdoors during Illinois winters.
    • The Gulf Coast Tick has recently been documented in Illinois. It carries pathogens for Ricketsia parkeri rickettsiosis, a disease similar to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

    Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory

    INHS Medical Entomology Laboratory

    Illinois Department of Public Health “Common Ticks”

    Centers for Disease Control “Ticks”

    TickEncounter Resource Center Videos