Three things distinguish ticks from insects:
(1) The head, thorax, and abdomen are fused into one body segment; (2) They do not have antennae; and
(3) In the nymph and adult stages they have four pairs of legs.
 Ticks

 Diseases
 Prevention
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Hard Ticks    back to top
are distinguished by a dorsal shield. The dorsal shield is small in the female, but in the male it covers the entire dorsal surface. Hard ticks are also tapered anteriorly and the mouthparts are readily visible from the dorsal view.

Hard ticks found in Texas:

link to Amblyomma americanum Amblyomma americanum,
Lone Star Tick		 link to Ixodes scapularis Ixodes scapularis,
Black-legged (deer) Tick
link to Dermacentor variabilis Dermacentor variabilis,
American Dog Tick		 link to Rhipicephalus sanquineus Rhipicephalus sanquineus,
Brown Dog Tick

Soft Ticks    back to top
are leathery and without a dorsal shield. Their mouthparts are subterminally attached and not visible from the dorsal view.

Ticks 101     back to top
Take a look at the life cycle and anatomy of ticks.


Distribution    back to top
Find out which species of ticks you are most likely to encounter in the ten ecoregions of Texas.

For more information, contact your local health department,
or the Texas Department of State Health Services.