A genus of hard ticks found worldwide that can transmit serious diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and encephalitis to humans and animals.
From Greek haema (blood) + physalis (bladder), named by naturalists who observed these blood-feeding parasites. The scientific name reflects both the tick's blood-feeding habit and its bladder-like appearance.
Haemaphysalis ticks are your actual nemeses during hiking season! Unlike deer ticks that fall off quickly, these ticks embed themselves and stay put—plus they're found on six continents, making them one of the most geographically successful disease vectors on Earth.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.