Vole and Shrew Tick

A nest-dwelling hard tick principally associated with voles, shrews and other small mammals across much of Europe and western Asia.

Principally a wildlife and small-mammal tick; dogs and cats may occasionally encounter it through contact with rodent nests or burrows.

Documented from Ireland and northern Spain eastwards into western Siberia. Its occurrence is clustered around suitable small-mammal hosts and humid burrow habitats.

Species-level confirmation should use authoritative morphological keys and, where necessary, expert or molecular examination. Photographs, host and location alone may be insufficient.

Identification requires the complete combination of family, genus and species-level morphological characters.

Use authoritative comparative keys; do not rely on colour, size, host or geography as a single diagnostic feature.

Photographs alone cannot always confirm this species.

Adult males and females differ in dorsal shield coverage, body proportions and feeding-related expansion; confirm stage and sex with an appropriate species key.

Egg, larva, nymph and adult stages are present; host-use pattern is species-specific.

Seasonal activity varies geographically and should be interpreted from local surveillance.

Documented from Ireland and northern Spain eastwards into western Siberia. Its occurrence is clustered around suitable small-mammal hosts and humid burrow habitats.

It rarely bites people. Pathogens have been detected in this species, but detection alone does not establish transmission to humans.

Principally a wildlife and small-mammal tick; dogs and cats may occasionally encounter it through contact with rodent nests or burrows.

It rarely bites people. Pathogens have been detected in this species, but detection alone does not establish transmission to humans.

Human-health relevance is stated only where governed evidence supports human biting or transmission; otherwise no human-vector claim is made.

Veterinary relevance is mainly incidental exposure of dogs and cats entering habitat used by infested rodents; suspected ticks should be retained for professional identification.

Use habitat-appropriate tick avoidance, animal inspection and veterinary-led control.

Remove attached ticks promptly using evidence-based guidance and seek medical or veterinary advice when indicated.