Bug FAQOrnate Cow Tick
Dermacentor reticulatus · Order: Ixodida · Family: Ixodidae
Also called: Marsh Tick, Ornate dog tick
Source: Wikipedia
The ornate cow tick is a disease-carrying tick found in Europe and Western Asia. It develops through three hosts, with larvae hatching in about two weeks.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Dermacentor reticulatus is known as the ornate tick.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Unfed females are about 3.8 to 4.2 mm long and can swell to roughly 10 mm after feeding. Unfed males measure about 4.2 to 4.8 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
It can transmit disease organisms to hosts.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in wooded areas of Europe and Western Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The tick acts as a vector for various disease organisms.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Dermacentor reticulatus follows a three-host development cycle. Larvae hatch from eggs in 14 to 21 days.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes Europe and Western Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How many hosts does its life cycle involve?
It develops on three different hosts during its life.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this tick typically found?
It lives in wooded areas of Europe and Western Asia.
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/Dermacentor_reticulatus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.