Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americana)
family Ioxididae (hard ticks), order Ioxidida (ticks)


Ticks are a type of arachnid which are of medical and veterinary importance, since they can vector harmful diseases or annoy and harm hosts through direct action. They are obligate, non-permanent parasites. Various ticks can attack animals such as birds, dogs, turtles, or even amphibians. Ticks have been around for a long time, and a few have been fossilized. A tick in the genus Amblyomma was found in Dominican amber dating back to 30-40 million years ago! Another fossilized tick was a nuisance to a woolly rhinoceros from the Pliocene (1.8-5.3 million years ago).

There are a number of hard ticks in Kansas. Hard ticks have a rigid scutum, or dorsal shield, and their heads are easily seen from above. These KS hard ticks include the American dog tick, brown dog tick, lone star tick, and the black-legged or deer tick.

Ticks go through multiple hosts during their life. An engorged female lays eggs, which hatch into six-legged ‘larvae’. Larval ticks can attack in large numbers. These ticks feed on blood – typically of small mammals – and then become eight-legged nymphs. The nymphs feed for a few days and then molt into the adult stage (still with eight legs). As adults, the males and females again feed on a host. They then will mate while still on the host, and the female drops off to lay her eggs. This cycle takes about two years in Kansas.

At no point in their lives can ticks jump. They usually encounter hosts while waiting on a blade of grass or a leaf of a bush. Ticks can also crawl short distances to a host if they sense one nearby.

The lone star tick is a common one in Kansas and is often submitted to the diagnostic lab for identification. It is becoming more prevalent in the state and is increasing its range. The name derives from the noticeable white dot on the female, as seen in the photo above. The nymphs (both males and females) and males look much alike, with whitish markings sometimes seen on their back. Lone star ticks can be identified by various characters, including their relatively long palpi (area of “mouthparts” at front of head) and the two spurs (of unequal length) on their first pair of legs.

Lone star ticks can transmit diseases such as human monocytic ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichiosis chaffensis) and Southern tick-associated rash illness (Borrelia lonestari), among others, so always visit a physician if there are flu-like symptoms within two weeks of a tick bite. Antibiotics can be used to treat many of the diseases. It is believed that ticks need 24 hours on the host before they begin transmitting diseases, so quick removal is important. In regards to transmission, the larval ticks have the same capabilities as adults.

As for control measures: first, wear ‘bug spray’ while in brushy areas, check thoroughly for ticks after being outdoors, and remove ticks immediately from the body. For tick control in the yard: Spraying the whole yard is not recommended, since it will kill everything there, and the ticks will return later. The ticks usually are present because of the taller grass and the other animals around that they can feed on. Cutting the grass especially short occasionally or putting up a fence to keep out raccoons or deer can help rid the homeowner’s yard of ticks. More information is in the KSU extension publication listed below.



Literature Cited:
Dryden, M.W., P. Payne, and L. Zurek. 2004. ‘Ticks in Kansas’ (MF-2653; June 2004). http://www.ksre.k-state.edu/library/entml2/mf2653.pdf .

Keirans, J.E. and T.R. Litwak. 1989. Pictorial key to the adults of hard ticks, family Ixodidiae (Iodida: Ixodoidea), east of the Mississippi River. J. Med Entomol. 26(5): 435-448.

Klompen, J.S.H, W.C. Black IV, J.E. Keirans, and J.H. Oliver, Jr. 1996. Evolution of ticks. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 41:141-161.



October, 2007 -- Elizabeth Murray, Extension Entomology Diagnostician