(ik-sod'ĭ-dē‵ )

[Ixod(es) + -idae]

A family of ticks belonging to the order Acarina, class Arachnida, comprising the hard-bodied ticks including the genera Amblyomma, Boophilus, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, Ixodes, and Rhipicephalus. All are parasitic and of significance as pests or as transmitters of disease in domestic animals and humans. Ticks transmit such diseases as babesiosis, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, relapsing fever, tularemia, and Lyme disease.