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| Family | Hardbacked Ticks (Ixodidae) | Size | 1/8-1/4" (5mm) |
| Season | Spring-Summer | Food | Blood |
| Habitat | Grassy and scrubby areas | ||
The Rocky Mountain Wood Tick, Dermacentor andersoni, and the American Dog Tick, Dermacentor variabilis, are virtually indistinguishable. They are usually distinguished by their range -- where you found it. If you found the tick in the eastern two-thirds of the United States, you call it Dermacentor variabilis. If found in the Western United States, it is Dermacentor andersoni. Unfortunately, both species are potential vectors for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fevor and several other tick-borne diseases. The Pacific Coast Tick, Dermacentor occidentalis, is in the same Family and Genus. Research is ongoing in searching for links between this tick and specific disease outbreaks but is better to be safe than sorry and assume any tick is a potential carrier. If you will be spending time in a tick prone area, its a good idea to take precautions to prevent being bitten and to know how to remove a tick properly if you are. Using tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and try to remove it intact with a steady upward pulling motion. Be patient and keep up the firm but gentle pressure. It may take several minutes. Ticks do not jump or fly but await atop tall grasses for a host to pass by. They hold out their hook shaped legs waiting to snare a victim or may even drop onto a host from above. Ticks need a blood meal to pass from one stage of their development to the next. |
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add image to lightboxReferences
Evans, Arthur V. National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America. New York: Sterling, 2008.
Alden, Peter, and Fred Heath. National Audubon Society Field Guide to California. New York: Knopf, 1998.
Map: http://ciesin.columbia.edu/docs/001-613/map26.gif
http://bugguide.net/node/view/15488/bgpage