TickZone

Tick Identification in Missouri

The ticks you are most likely to find in Missouri, with photos and the size, color, and markings that tell them apart. Only the deer tick carries Lyme disease. Below the chart, see which types live in your county.

Female deer tick (blacklegged tick) on a green leaf, with a reddish-orange body, dark shield, and black legs, no white markings

Deer tick

Ixodes scapularis

Carries Lyme

Established in Missouri

Size:
Small, a sesame seed (nymph: a poppy seed)
Look for:
Reddish-orange body, solid dark shield, black legs, no pattern
Carries:
Lyme, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Powassan
Full deer tick guide →
Female American dog tick with an ornate off-white and brown mottled shield behind the head

American dog tick

Dermacentor variabilis

Established in Missouri

Size:
Larger, an apple seed
Look for:
Brown with an ornate off-white mottled shield
Carries:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia (rare)
Full american dog tick guide →
Female lone star tick on a green blade of grass, reddish-brown with a single bright white dot in the center of its back

Lone star tick

Amblyomma americanum

Established in Missouri

Size:
Medium, rounded
Look for:
Reddish-brown; female has a single white dot on the back
Carries:
Ehrlichiosis, STARI, alpha-gal syndrome
Full lone star tick guide →
Female brown dog tick, uniform reddish-brown with no distinct markings

Brown dog tick

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Found nationwide, the one tick that infests homes and kennels indoors

Size:
Medium, narrow body that tapers toward the head
Look for:
Uniform reddish-brown, no ornate markings
Carries:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, canine diseases
Full brown dog tick guide →
Female Gulf Coast tick with an ornate silvery patterned shield

Gulf Coast tick

Amblyomma maculatum

A southern tick spreading north into the mid-Atlantic

Size:
Large, bigger than a lone star
Look for:
Silvery ornate markings on the shield, no single dot
Carries:
Rickettsia parkeri spotted fever
Full gulf coast tick guide →
Female Asian longhorned tick, small and uniform reddish-brown with no markings

Asian longhorned tick

Haemaphysalis longicornis

A newer arrival, established in the mid-Atlantic and spreading north

Size:
Small and plain, often found in large numbers
Look for:
Reddish-brown with no markings
Carries:
Mainly a livestock threat; human disease risk under study
Full asian longhorned tick guide →

Missouri establishment is shown for the three ticks CDC tracks by county; the others carry a regional range note. Source: CDC tick surveillance (ArboNET Tick Module), 2025. County surveillance is coarse: “not established” is a lack of records, not proof a tick is absent.

Deer, dog and lone star ticks by Missouri county

These are the three ticks CDC maps county by county, not the only ticks in Missouri: the brown dog, Gulf Coast, and Asian longhorned ticks are in the chart above. Tap a county for its daily tick-risk detail.

CountyDeer tickAmerican dog tickLone star tick
Adair CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Andrew CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Atchison CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Audrain CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Barry CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Barton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Bates CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Benton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Bollinger CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Boone CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Buchanan CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Butler CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Caldwell CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Callaway CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Camden CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Cape Girardeau CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Carroll CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Carter CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Cass CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Cedar CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Chariton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Christian CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Clark CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Clay CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Clinton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Cole CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Cooper CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Crawford CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Dade CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Dallas CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Daviess CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
DeKalb CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Dent CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Douglas CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Dunklin CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Franklin CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Gasconade CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Gentry CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Greene CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Grundy CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Harrison CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Henry CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Hickory CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Holt CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Howard CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Howell CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Iron CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Jackson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Jasper CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Jefferson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Johnson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Knox CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Laclede CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Lafayette CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Lawrence CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Lewis CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Lincoln CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Linn CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Livingston CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Macon CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Madison CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Maries CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Marion CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
McDonald CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Mercer CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Miller CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Mississippi CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Moniteau CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Monroe CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Montgomery CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Morgan CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
New Madrid CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Newton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Nodaway CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Oregon CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Osage CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Ozark CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Pemiscot CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Perry CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Pettis CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Phelps CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Pike CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Platte CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Polk CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Pulaski CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Putnam CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Ralls CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Randolph CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Ray CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Reynolds CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Ripley CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Saline CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Schuyler CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Scotland CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Scott CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Shannon CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Shelby CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
St. Charles CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
St. Clair CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
St. Francois CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
St. Louis CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
St. Louis city CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Ste. Genevieve CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Stoddard CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Stone CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Sullivan CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Taney CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Texas CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Vernon CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Warren CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Washington CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wayne CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Webster CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Worth CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wright CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished

Lone star ticks and alpha-gal syndrome

The lone star tick is established in Missouri in 115 of 115 counties (see the table above). Its bite can cause alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat.

Do not overlook the tiny ones

Nymph deer ticks are the size of a poppy seed and cause most Lyme cases in Missouri because they are so easy to miss. When you check for ticks, look for the small ones too, especially in June and July.

Missouri tick risk by town

A daily 0–100 tick-risk score for every town in Missouri.

See Missouri →

Tick identification chart

The national chart, plus identification for other states.

All states →

Frequently asked questions

What types of ticks live in Missouri?
Missouri has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease and is established across the state; the American dog tick, which is established; and the lone star tick, which is established and causes alpha-gal syndrome. County-level presence is shown in the table above.
Which Missouri tick carries Lyme disease?
The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Missouri. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme, though they can transmit other illnesses.
Are there lone star ticks in Missouri?
Yes. The lone star tick is established in Missouri, in 115 of the state's 115 counties (Adair County, Andrew County, Atchison County and more, listed in the table above). It causes alpha-gal syndrome, a red-meat allergy.
How can I tell these ticks apart?
Use size, color, and legs. The deer tick is small with a reddish-orange body, a solid dark shield, and black legs. The American dog tick is larger and brown with an ornate off-white mottled shield. The female lone star tick has a single white dot on her back. The chart above shows each one.