The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, is a species of hard tick widely distributed across the eastern, southeastern and midwestern United States and parts of southern Ontario, Canada, favoring wooded areas with thick underbrush where white-tailed deer, its primary host as an adult, are common. Females are identified by a single silvery-white spot near the center of their back, the marking that gives the species its name, while males show scattered white streaks along the margins of their shield. Besides transmitting several disease-causing bacteria, including the agents of ehrlichiosis, its bite is notable for triggering alpha-gal syndrome, a delayed allergic reaction to red meat confirmed to be caused by a sugar molecule present in the tick's saliva.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Comparison
NatureServe Rank CITES Appendix Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Lone Star Tick
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Amblyomma americanum
Wikipedia- Wikidata Q1948607 (P225 taxon name)
Range and habitat
It lives in wooded areas, particularly in second-growth forests with thick underbrush, where white-tailed deer (the primary host of mature ticks) reside.
Diet and feeding
Adult lone star ticks usually feed on medium and large mammals, and are very frequently found on white-tailed deer.
View the Source 2. Lone Star Tick (Wikipedia)
primary vector of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, which causes human monocytic ehrlichiosisView the Source 3. NatureServe Explorer: Amblyomma americanum
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "GNR"
View the Source 4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Arachnida
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 27Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 27
"cites_listing":"II/III/NC","eu_listing":"B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Arachnida","order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Scorpions And Spiders","language":"EN"},{"name":"Araignées","language":"FR"},{"name":"Arañas","language":"ES"},{"name":"蛛形纲","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source 5. GBIF (IUCN Red List category): GBIF IUCN Red List category for Amblyomma americanum
GBIF (IUCN Red List category)GBIF taxon key 2184301, category fieldQuote, GBIF taxon key 2184301, category field
"category": "NOT_EVALUATED"
View the Source IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
GBIF Species API
Wikidata: Lone Star Tick
- Wikidata Q1948607, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Child Taxon Of: Parasitiformes, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
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