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Tick Varieties in Texas

Texas has five varieties of ticks, and you're more likely to meet up with them in some of the state's 10 eco-regions than others. Ticks are blood-sucking insects that carry diseases such as Lyme, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and relapsing fever. Knowing the types of ticks and where you are likely to encounter them is an important part of protecting yourself in the great outdoors of Texas.

  1. Lone Star Tick

    • The Lone Star tick, Amblyomma americanum, is a hard, reddish-brown insect. The female has a white spot on the back and the male has white markings on the outside of the back. The Lone Star tick is found throughout most of Texas, specifically in these eco-regions: the Rolling Plains, Pineywoods, Gulf Prairies & Marshes, Post Oak Savannah, Cross Timbers & Prairies, Blackland Prairies, South Texas Plains and Edwards Plateau eco-regions.

    Black-Legged Tick

    • The black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick, and scientifically named Ixodes scapularis, is a hard, black or brown insect. Males can be as small as one-eighth of an inch in length while females sometimes grow to a half-inch. Deer ticks live in much of Texas, specifically these eco-regions: Pineywoods, Gulf Prairies & Marshes, Post Oak Savannah, Cross Timbers & Prairies, Blackland Prairies, South Texas Plains and Edwards Plateau.

    American Dog Tick

    • The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, is a hard insect with white or yellow markings on the dorsal shield. Its length ranges from an eighth of an inch in males up to a half inch in females. The American dog tick resides in many Texas eco-regions: High Plains, Pineywoods, Gulf Prairies & Marshes, Post Oak Savannah, Cross Timbers & Prairies, Blackland Prairies, South Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau and Rolling Plains.

    Brown Dog Tick

    • The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, which is hard and reddish-brown, isn't often found on humans but feeds on other mammals in every eco-region of the state.

    Soft Tick

    • The soft tick differs from other species in that it is leathery and doesn’t have a dorsal shield. The mouth is also not visible when viewed from above as it is in hard ticks. Soft ticks are most often found on birds, bats and small mammals. The soft ticks most common to Texas are of the Ornithodoros genera and include the species Ornithodoros hermsi, Ornithodoros parkeri, Ornithodoros turicata and Ornithodoros talaje. These insects dwell in several eco-regions but are rarely seen by people. They mainly live in the burrows of small mammals and reptiles.

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