Topic summary
Ixodes ricinus

Ixodes ricinus, commonly known as the castor bean tick, the sheep ked, sheep tick, is a chiefly European species of hard-bodied tick. It may reach a length of 11 mm (0.43 in) when engorged with a blood meal, and can transmit both bacterial and viral pathogens such as the causative agents of Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis.