# American dog tick

*Dermacentor variabilis*

**Identification confidence:** Identifiable with care

## How to recognise it

- The shield behind the head carries conspicuous white or silvery mottled ornamentation, unlike the blacklegged tick's solid dark shield.
- Adults are larger and more rounded at 3 to 5 mm unfed, and distinctly brown.
- The mouthparts are short compared with the blacklegged tick.

## What it leaves behind

- Ticks found after time in grassy fields, along trails, and in scrubby edge habitat rather than deep woodland.
- Peak activity in spring and early summer.

## Why an infestation persists

A vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, though not of Lyme disease. Correct species identification therefore changes which illnesses are plausible after a bite, which is why it matters clinically.


## Where it occurs

East of the Rocky Mountains and in limited parts of the Pacific coast.

## What prevents it

- Stay to trail centres and avoid brushing through tall grass at field edges.
- Perform prompt tick checks on people and pets.
- Keep grass mown and clear brush along paths and property edges.

## Commonly confused with

- **Blacklegged tick** (*Ixodes scapularis*) — Adult females have a solid dark reddish-orange abdomen with a distinct solid black shield behind the head, and no white markings or ornamentation.
- **Brown dog tick** (*Rhipicephalus sanguineus*) — Uniform reddish-brown with no white ornamentation on the shield, separating it from the American dog tick.
- **Lone star tick** (*Amblyomma americanum*) — Adult females carry a single conspicuous white or cream spot in the centre of the back — the "lone star" — which is unmistakable and needs no magnification.

**Verdict:** prevention-first. Personal protection and habitat management at the yard edge address exposure directly.

Source: https://againstpest.shop/identify/ticks/american-dog-tick/