What is the scientific name of the black-legged tick?

The scientific name of the black-legged tick is Ixodes scapularis.

It is a hard-bodied tick in the family Ixodidae and is found across much of eastern North America. The name “deer tick” is widely used because adult ticks often feed on white-tailed deer, but black-legged tick is the more precise common name. Deer are important hosts, yet they are not the only animals involved in the tick’s life cycle.

Taxonomic history explains one frequent source of confusion. In 1979, northeastern ticks associated with babesiosis were called Ixodes dammini. Research published in 1993 showed that this name referred to the same species already known as Ixodes scapularis in the southeastern United States.

Ixodes scapularis has a two-year life cycle with larval, nymphal, and adult stages, and it needs a blood meal before progressing to the next stage. It is the principal North American vector of Lyme disease and can also transmit babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and Powassan virus. Nymphs are especially important in human disease because they are tiny and easy to overlook.