Lone star tick
On an adult female, the single pale dot on the back is the fastest visual clue.
Size by life stage
- Adult female
- approx. 4-6 mm unfed source caveated editorial
- Adult male
- approx. 3-5 mm unfed source caveated editorial
- Nymph
- approx. 1-2 mm; small nymphs may not show the adult female dot source caveated editorial
- Larva
- approx. 0.5-1 mm; larvae have 6 legs source caveated editorial
How to tell it apart
- Scutum: Adult female has a single pale/white dot; adult male is more diffusely patterned and lacks the single-dot cue.
- Color (unfed): Reddish-brown to brown; the adult female's single pale dot is the reader-facing cue.
- Color (engorged): Engorged body can become larger and gray/tan; the dot may be harder to use after feeding.
Where it lives
Region: Established across much of the south-central, southeastern, mid-Atlantic, and parts of the eastern U.S.
Habitat preference: Wooded edges, brush, tall grass, wildlife corridors, and suburban/rural edge habitats.
Hosts: humans, dogs, deer, wildlife, birds
Emerging in: upper Midwest and northeastern edge states where CDC range mapping, state health surveillance, and university extension sources document expansion or local establishment
Where this species shows up in our state guides
Primary species in: Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
Secondary or emerging in: Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin
Disease associations
- associated with ehrlichiosis
- associated with STARI discussion
- associated with alpha-gal syndrome context
Look-alikes
- american dog tick
- blacklegged deer tick
- gulf coast tick
- small attached scabs
Sources
- CDC Where Ticks Live
- CDC Lone Star Tick Range Map PDF
- PA DEP Lone Star Tick
- Texas A&M TickApp Lone Star Tick
- UMaine Lone Star Tick