Haemaphysalis longicornis
species of arachnid
Haemaphysalis longicornis, the Asian longhorned tick,
longhorned tick, bush tick, Asian tick, or cattle tick, is a parasitic arachnid belonging to the tick family Ixodidae. The Asian longhorned tick is a known livestock pest, especially in New Zealand, and can transmit a disease called theileriosis to cattle but not to humans. However, the tick has been associated with several other tickborne diseases in humans.
An unfed female is typically 2.0–2.6 mm long and 1.5–1.8 mm wide, and grows to 9.8 mm long and 8.2 mm wide with engorgement. Distinguishing a specimen from other members of the genus Haemaphysalis requires microscopic examination of minor physical characteristics.
Geographic distribution
The Asian longhorned tick is native to temperate areas of East and Central Asia, including China, Korea, and Japan, as well as Pacific islands including Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji to name a few.
The species was not known to be present on the mainland United States until 9 November 2017, when it was first discovered on a sheep farm in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, although it had been intercepted at U.S. ports on import animals and materials at least a dozen times. The Asian longhorned tick has been found in 12 states: New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Arkansas, Maryland, Connecticut, Ohio, and Maine. Attempts to eradicate the species from New Jersey failed; the tick successfully overwintered and has since become established in the state as an invasive species. The tick may have been present in the eastern US for several years, but only recently detected.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Haemaphysalis longicornis” is species of arachnid. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Haemaphysalis, longicornis and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of arachnid” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3658534. The first chronological checks are 2017.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Haemaphysalis longicornis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.