Lists of Pests of Significant Public Health Importance – Revised 2023/Arthropod Pests

by the United States Environmental Protection Agency

Arthropod Pests
Pest	Scientific Name	Public Health Importance/ Possible Clinical Significance
ARACHNIDS
Ixodida
Soft Ticks	Argasidae
Relapsing fever ticks (and allied species)	Ornithodoros turicata	Tick-borne relapsing fever
	Ornithodoros hermsi
	Ornithodoros parkeri
Hard Ticks	Ixodidae
American dog tick	Dermacentor variabilis	Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Tularemia, tick paralysis,
Rocky Mountain wood tick	Dermacentor andersoni	Colorado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Tularemia, tick paralysis,
Pacific Coast tick	Dermacentor occidentalis	Pacific Coast tick fever
Western blacklegged tick	Ixodes pacificus	Anaplasmosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease, Lyme disease
Blacklegged tick (deer tick)	Ixodes scapularis	Anaplasmosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease, Lyme disease, Babesiosis, Powassan encephalitis
Brown dog tick	Rhipicephalus sanguineus	Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Lone star tick	Amblyomma americanum	Ehrlichiosis, Bourbon virus disease, Heartland virus disease, Alpha-gal syndrome (red meat allergy)
Gulf Coast tick	Amblyomma maculatum	Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis
Trombidiformes
Chigger mites	Trombiculidae
Common chiggers	Eutrombicula spp.	Dermatitis with risk of secondary infection
Follicle mites	Demodicidae
Dog follicle mite	Demodex canis	Scabies
Human follicle mites	Demodex brevis	Roseacea, Demodicosis, Demodicidosis, eye infections
	Demodex folliculorum
Sarcoptiformes
Dust mites	Pyroglyphidae
American house dust mite	Dermatophagoides farina	Allergic reaction, Asthma
European house dust mite	Chorioptes pteronyssinus
Itch mites	Sarcopidae
Scabies mite	Sarcoptes scabiei	Scabies
Araneae
Spiders
Widow spiders, including: Southern black widow Northern black widow Western black widow Brown widow	Latrodectus mactans Latrodectus variolus Latrodectus hesperus Latrodectus geometricus	Venomous bite
Recluse spiders, including: Brown recluse	Loxosceles reclusa
Scorpiones
Scorpions
Bark scorpions	Centruroides sculpturatus	Venomous sting
	Centruroides exilicauda
	Centruroides vittatus
Chilopoda
Centipedes
House centipede	Scutigera coleoptrata	Venomous bite
Florida blue centipede	Hemiscolopendra marginata
Scolopendra centipedes	Scolopendra spp.
INSECTS
Blattodea
Cockroaches
American cockroach	Periplaneta americana	Allergic reaction, asthma, Salmonellosis, E. coli infection, hepatitis
Australian cockroach	Periplaneta australasiae
Brown cockroach	Periplaneta brunnea
Smokybrown cockroach	Periplaneta fuliginosa
Brownbanded cockroach	Supella longipalpa
German cockroach	Blattella germanica
Oriental cockroach	Blatta orientalis
Anoplura
Sucking lice
Body louse (cootie)	Pediculus humanus humanus	Epidemic typhus, epidemic relapsing fever, Trench fever, dermatitis with risk of secondary infection
Head louse	Pediculus humanus capitis
Crab louse (crabs)	Phithirus pubis
Heteroptera
True bugs
Bed bug	Cimex lectularis	Bites, allergic reactions
Tropical bed bug	Cimex hemipterus
Masked hunter	Reduvius personatus	Chagas disease, allergic reactions
Large kissing bug	Triatoma rubrofasciata	Chagas disease, allergic reactions
Bloodsucking conenose	Triatoma sanguisuga
Western bloodsucking conenose	Triatoma protracta
Diptera
Horse & Deer Flies
Horse flies	Tabanus spp.	Painful Bite, allergic reactions, mechanical transmission of anthrax
Deer flies	Chrysops spp.	Painful Bite, allergic reactions, Tularemia
Calyptrate Flies
House fly	Musca domestica	Salmonellosis, Shigella, dysentery, myiasis, allergic reactions
Stable fly	Stomoxys calcitrans
Little house fly	Fannia canicularis
Horse bot fly	Gasterophilus intestinalis	Ocular myiasis, cutaneous myiasis
Nose bot fly	Gasterophilus haemorrhoidalis
Torsalo (human bot fly)	Dermatobia hominus
Sheep ked	Melophagus ovinus	Myiasis
Flesh flies	Sarcophagidae, including Sarcophaga and Wohlfahrtia spp.	Myiasis, mechanical vector of pathogens
Blow flies	Calliphoridae, including Phaenicia and Calliphora spp.	Myiasis, mechanical vector of pathogens
Screwworm	Cochliomyia hominivorax	Myiasis
Secondary screwworm	Cochliomyia macellaria
Biting Midges and Sand Flies
“No-See-Ums”	Culicoides spp., Leptoconops spp.	Dermatitis with risk of secondary infection, allergic reactions
Punkies
Biting midges
Sand flies	Lutzomyia spp., Phlebotomis spp.	Dermatitis with risk of secondary infection, American dermal leishmaniasis
Black flies	Simuliidae; includes Simulium and Prosimulium spp.	River blindness, dermatitis with risk of secondary infection, painful bite, allergic reactions
Black gnats
Mosquito species that vector disease	Aedes spp. Culex spp. Culiseta spp. Ochlerotatus spp. Anopheles spp. Psorophora spp. Coquillettidia spp. Mansonia spp.	Viral diseases, such as: West Nile, St. Louis encephalitis, Eastern equine encephalitis, Western equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, LaCrosse, Jamestown Canyon, Cache Vally virus disease, Dengue fever, Yellow fever, Malaria, Zika, Chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis (note: not all diseases are vectored by every genera)
Siphonaptera
Fleas
Cat flea	Ctenocephalides felis	Bartonella, Murine typhus, tapeworm infection, dermatitis with a risk of secondary infection, allergic reactions, painful bite
Dog flea	Ctenocephalides canis
Human flea	Pulex irritans	Dermatitis with risk of secondary infection, allergic reactions, painful bite
Sticktight flea	Echidnophaga gallinacea	Bubonic plague, Murine plague (endemic typhus), Dermatitis with risk of secondary infection, allergic reactions, painful bite
Oriental rat flea	Xenopsylla cheopis
Chigoe	Tunga penetrans
Other fleas	Oropsylla sp. Thrassis spp. Ceratophyllus gallinae
Hymenoptera
Stinging Wasps, Bees, & Ants
Yellowjackets	Vespula spp.	Painful stings, allergic reactions
European hornet	Vespa crabro
Bald-faced hornet	Dolichovespula maculata
Paper wasps	Polistes spp.
Thread-waisted wasps (including mud daubers)	Sphecidae: Various species
Pharaoh ant	Monomorium pharaonis	Feed on wounds
Fire ants, including: Southern fire ant Tropical fire ant Red imported fire ant Black imported fire ant European fire ant	Solenopsis spp. Solenopsis xyloni Solenopsis geminata Solenopsis invicta, Solenopsis richteri Myrmica rubra	Painful stings, allergic reactions
Harvester ants	Pogonomyrmex spp.	Painful stings, allergic reactions
Bees	Apidae
Africanized honey bee	Apis mellifera scutellata	Painful stings, allergic reactions