Bug FAQTaiga tick
Ixodes persulcatus · Order: Ixodida · Family: Ixodidae
Source: Wikipedia
It is a hard-bodied tick that shows strong sexual size differences, with females much larger than males. It lives across Europe and much of northern and central Asia, reaching China and Japan. It feeds on a wide range of hosts, including humans, dogs, rabbits, various wild mammals and sometimes birds, and can pass Lyme disease, relapsing fever, babesiosis and two types of tick-borne encephalitis.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The taiga tick belongs to the hard-bodied tick group.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males are markedly smaller than females.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
It can transmit Lyme disease, relapsing fever, babesiosis and two strains of tick-borne encephalitis to humans.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It parasitises wild and domestic ungulates, humans, dogs, rabbits, small mammals such as dormice and hedgehogs, and occasionally birds.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species shows marked sexual dimorphism, with the male much smaller than the female.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range spans Europe, central and northern Asia, China and Japan.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What diseases can the taiga tick transmit?
It can pass Lyme disease, relapsing fever, babesiosis and two types of tick-borne encephalitis to people.
Source: Wikipedia
Which animals does the taiga tick bite?
It feeds on wild and domestic ungulates, humans, dogs, rabbits, small mammals like dormice and hedgehogs, and sometimes birds.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell a taiga tick apart from other ticks?
It is a hard-bodied tick with females much larger than males, showing clear sexual size differences.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the taiga tick found?
Its range includes Europe, central and northern Asia, China and Japan.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Ixodidae)
American Dog TickDermacentor variabilisCan spread germs or disease
Eastern Black-legged TickIxodes scapularisCan spread germs or disease
Lone Star TickAmblyomma americanumCan spread germs or disease
Gulf Coast TickAmblyomma maculatumCan spread germs or disease
Western Black-legged TickIxodes pacificusCan spread germs or disease
Brown Dog TickRhipicephalus sanguineusCan spread germs or diseaseSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixodes_persulcatus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.