The parasite also known as a winter tick is:

• A. Ixodes dammini
• B. Dermacentor variabilis
• C. Rhipicephalus sanguineus
• D. Dermacentor albipictus

Answer: (D)

Winter tick is Dermacentor albipictus, a one-host tick that typically parasitizes large mammals such as deer and moose. All larval, nymphal, and adult stages feed on the same host before the engorged female drops off to lay eggs. This pattern gives it a distinctive wintertime infestation, where heavy burdens can cause irritation, blood loss, and even anemia in heavily infested animals, especially young ones. The other ticks listed are different species with different host preferences and life cycles: Ixodes dammini (now called Ixodes scapularis) is the deer tick associated with Lyme disease, Dermacentor variabilis is the American dog tick, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus is the brown dog tick. They are not the winter tick.