Common Ticks of Virginia
American Dog Tick
The American Dog Tick, Dermacentor variabillis, is about 5mm long with short stout mouthparts. It is dark brown with light wavy lines or reticulations on its back. It is found mostly in the western sections of Virginia and west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Adults are the most common stage found.
Lone Star Tick
The Lone Star Tick, Amblyomma americanum, is about 5mm or less in length with long mouthparts. It is light reddish brown with a central white sport on the back of most of the adults. The lone star tick can be very common in the piedmont and coastal plain sections of Virginia. Adults have a white sport on their back, but the seed tick stage lacks this spot. All stages have reddish brown legs.
Deer Tick
The Deer Tick, lxodes scapularis, is a small tick about 2-3mm in length with long mouthparts. It is off-white or reddish when fed and has black legs. The deer tick until recently was known as lxodes dammini. The Deer Tick is also known as the Blacklegged Tick.
