Rabbit tick

A hard tick of rabbits and hares with a broad distribution in the Americas; immature and adult stages are strongly associated with lagomorph hosts.

Rabbits and hares are the principal hosts; occasional records from other animals require case-specific confirmation.

Widely reported in North, Central and South America. Individual occurrence records do not demonstrate uniform abundance.

Species-level confirmation should use appropriate morphological keys and, where necessary, expert 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 and feeding-related expansion; confirm stage and sex using an appropriate 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.

Widely reported in North, Central and South America. Individual occurrence records do not demonstrate uniform abundance.

It is important in wildlife surveillance. Pathogen detection in a tick does not alone establish vector competence or human disease risk.

Rabbits and hares are the principal hosts; occasional records from other animals require case-specific confirmation.

It is important in wildlife surveillance. Pathogen detection in a tick does not alone establish vector competence or human disease risk.

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

Veterinary relevance is based on documented host use, livestock exposure and separately cited transmission evidence.

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.