5 Types of Ticks in Pennsylvania

5 types of ticks have a verified observation record in Pennsylvania. The most frequently recorded are Eastern Black-legged Tick, American Dog Tick and Lone Star Tick. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

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5 types of ticks have a verified observation record in Pennsylvania. The most frequently recorded are Eastern Black-legged Tick, American Dog Tick and Lone Star Tick. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

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Real sighting data, source iNaturalist

3,236 verified observations on iNaturalist of tick have been recorded in Pennsylvania, most often in May, April, June.

When tick are recorded in Pennsylvania

Verified species, source iNaturalist

5 types of ticks recorded in Pennsylvania

5 tick species have a verified observation record in Pennsylvania, each with at least 10 confirmed sightings. The full list, ranked by how often each is recorded, is below.

1 of the 5 shown is recorded as introduced to Pennsylvania rather than native.

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    1

    Eastern Black-legged Tick

    Ixodes scapularis

    1,458 records
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    2

    American Dog Tick

    Dermacentor variabilis

    1,335 records
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    3

    Lone Star Tick

    Amblyomma americanum

    103 records
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    4

    Asian Longhorned Tick

    Haemaphysalis longicornis

    56 recordsIntroduced
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    5

    Gulf Coast Tick

    Amblyomma maculatum

    15 records

Plus 3 more recorded only rarely (fewer than 10 verified sightings). Counts from verified iNaturalist observations.

The Eastern Black-legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis) is the most commonly recorded, with 1,458 verified observations, about 49% of all ticks reported in Pennsylvania. If you spot a tick here, it is statistically most likely to be this one.

Pennsylvania also hosts less common ticks such as Asian Longhorned Tick and Gulf Coast Tick, each recorded fewer than 100 times. These are the species worth a second look when you are out, since a sighting is more notable.

Not every one of these is originally from here. Asian Longhorned Tick is recorded by iNaturalist as introduced in Pennsylvania rather than native, so it arrived with human help rather than on its own.