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. Among the diseases transmitted by ticks are Rocky Mountain spotted fever, relapsing fever, tularemia, and Lyme disease.