Black Legged Tick
Ixodes scapularis Say, 1821

Taxonomy

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Chelicerata
Class	Arachnida
Order	Ixodida
Family	Ixodidae
Genus	Ixodes
Species	Ixodes scapularis Say, 1821

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class: Trogloxene
Realm: Terrestrial

Distribution

Range

Known from one county in Oklahoma.

Continent

North America

Country

United States

States and provinces

Oklahoma

Counties

Oklahoma: Delaware

Conservation and management

NatureServe

GNR Unranked

National ranks

Canada: N5 Secure
United States: NNR

Subnational ranks

Prince Edward Island: SU Unrankable
New Brunswick: S5 Secure
Manitoba: S5 Secure
Nova Scotia: S5 Secure
Alberta: SU Unrankable
Ontario: S5 Secure
South Carolina: SNR Unranked

Ranks looked up 2 August 2026. Conservation status changes, and a rank here is as current as that date and no more.

State and federal status

Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

References

Fenolio, D.B., Slay, M.E. & Niemiller, M.L. 2023a. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2022 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 24 pp.

This account was last revised 6 September 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 2 August 2026.

How to cite this account

Ixodes scapularis Say, 1821. Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-2543. https://cavebiology.org/species/ixodes-scapularis/ (accessed 22 October 2026).

Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.

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