The genus Rhipicephalus is usually inornate and the basis capituli is hexagonal dorsally.These ticks will attach almost anywhere on a dog, but the most common places for attachment are those areas the animal is unable to groom easily.They are commonly found on the head and neck, especially in the ears, between the toes, under the shoulder, and on the belly of dogs.
The males have conspicuous adanal plates. The brown dog tick is cosmopolitan in its distribution and, although primarily parasitic on dogs, accepts a wide range of hosts.The tick is responsible for the transmission of the canine piroplasmosis (Babesia canis) and the tropical canine pancytopenia (Ehrlichia canis).
