Although preferring the external ear canals of equids, the tropical horse tick, D.nitens, is also found on other hosts such as cattle. To date, only this species is known to be a natural vector of equine babesiae (Babesia caballi) in the New World.
This species nealy always adopts equids as hosts - but are sometimes found on other animals - and the ears seem to be the special place of attachment, although they may frequently be found on other parts of the body as on a horse's neck under the mane or on the unserside.