TicksAdult -- Both sexes are reddish-brown with a white mottled pattern on their dorsal shields. Adults are 4 to 5 mm in length.
Egg -- About 0.5 mm long and 0.4 mm wide, the shiny, oval egg is yellowish to pale yellow.
Larva -- This stage has three pairs of legs and is pale yellow with reddish-brown margins along the back.
Nymph -- The nymph is pale yellowish-brown and has four pairs of
legs.
Brown dog tick
Adult -- Both sexes are uniformly reddish-brown and 6 to 7 mm long.
Egg -- Except for its dark brown color, the egg is similar to that of the American dog tick.
Larva -- This stage is 0.5 to 2 mm long and is light brown. Larvae have three pairs of legs.
Nymph -- This stage is pale yellowish-brown and is 1.5 to 2.5 mm
long. It has four pairs of legs.
Lone star tick
Adult -- Both the male and female vary from 3 to 4 mm in length,
are light reddish-brown, and have 4 pairs of legs. The female has
a conspicuous silvery, white spot at the end of the dorsal
shield, whereas the male has several crescent-shaped white
markings in the posterior portion of the dorsal shield.
Egg -- About 0.5 mm long and 0.4 mm wide, the shiny, oval egg is yellowish to pale yellow.
Larva -- This stage measures 0.5 to 1.0 mm and is light brown with 3 pairs of legs.
Nymph -- The pre-adult stage measures 1.5 to 2.5 mm, is reddish-brown and has 4 pairs of legs.
Hosts -- American dog tick larvae and nymphs prefer to feed on the blood of rodents. Adults will attack man, dogs, livestock, and wildlife such as raccoons and foxes. All stages of the brown dog tick prefer to feed on dogs; man and livestock are rarely attacked. All stages of the lone star tick attack man and other animals, such as cattle, sheep, horses, hogs, dogs, deer and birds.
Damage -- American dog tick is the primary vector in the Southeast of a disease organism that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever in man. Symptoms include headache, muscle and lower back pains, fever, chills, and a measles-like rash that starts on the wrist and ankles and spreads to the trunk of the body. These symptoms occur within 2 to 12 days following a tick bite. The disease can be fatal if medication is not administered promptly. The organisms that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever are retained by ticks even as they grow and develop. They can be transmitted to the next generation by the female through the egg. If the infestation of brown dog ticks on the pet is severe, anemia can result. The feeding activity of the lone star tick often causes extreme nuisance. Disease organisms that cause tularemia, and possibly Q fever, are transmitted through the bite of the lone star tick.
Life History -- The lone star, brown, and American dog ticks have similar life cycles. Adults of both sexes feed and mate on the host. A female may mate with several males, but the act of mating for the male precedes death. The fertilized female drops off the host, deposits 3,000 to 5,000 eggs over a 3-week period and dies. The eggs are deposited in protected areas such as in leaf litter, pine straw, or a crack or crevice in dog houses. A gelatinous material surrounds the eggs and prevents them from drying out.
In about a month, the eggs hatch into larvae which are often called seed ticks. They climb low vegetation or the walls of pet quarters to await a host and can go several months without finding one. Seed ticks rarely survive the winter. Those successful in securing hosts feed for several days and then drop off to molt to the adult stage. As with the immature stages, the adult tick awaits a host and can survive several years without one. The entire cycle may require 3 months to several years depending on the availability of hosts.
The lone star, brown, and American dog ticks are referred to as 3-host ticks because each stage must feed on a host to continue the life cycle.