Common name: Gulf Coast tick
Adult female (left) and male (right) Amblyomma maculatum. Photo: Indiana Department of Health.
Present mostly in southern Indiana counties. It’s widely distributed in grass prairies and coastal uplands along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast. Click here to see the geographic distribution of ticks that bite humans in the United States.
To see where Gulf Coast ticks have been detected, visit the Indiana Tick-borne Disease Surveillance dashboard select "Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis" from the disease dropdown menu, and "Gulf Coast Tick" from the tick type dropdown menu.
The Gulf Coast tick life cycle consists of four stages (egg, larva, nymph and adult). These ticks are known to be aggressive feeders and can quest for suitable hosts for an extended period of time in optimal temperatures. Larvae and nymphs feed on birds and small mammals. The adults bite larger mammals and humans. The greatest risk of being bitten occurs in spring and summer.
Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum) from left to right: larva, nymph, adult male, and adult female. Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rickettsia parkeri has been detected in Gulf Coast ticks collected in mostly southern Indiana counties. While no human cases have been reported in Indiana, R. parkeri is the causative agent for Rickettsia parkeri Rickettsiosis
More information on spotted fever group rickettsioses can be found here.
The best way to prevent diseases associated with Gulf Coast ticks is to avoid tick bites. Please see our tick prevention page for more information.
Please visit the Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease webpage for more information about Gulf Coast ticks.
Female Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum). Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Male Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum). Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum) grassland habitat. Photo: Indiana Department of Health
Page Last Updated: September 27, 2024
