Stats

Lifespan

1-3 yrs

Size

Tiny

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Cathemeral

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

North America

Movement

Walking

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Armor

Status

Uncommon

About

The lone star tick is a reddish-brown tick native to eastern North America, named for the single silvery-white spot on the back of the adult female. Its painless bite can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, a delayed allergy to red meat.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg sac

   A silk-wrapped egg sac shelters a clutch of eggs until the young are ready to emerge.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A spiderling emerges from the egg sac already in miniature adult form and starts catching prey almost immediately.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult arachnid molts through several instars, growing larger and developing mature markings.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown after its final molt.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Ixodida

Family

Ixodidae

Genus

Amblyomma

Species

Amblyomma americanum