Dorsal view of a male cayenne tick. Amblyomma cajennense or Cayenne tick is species of tick found in a range from the southern part of the United States to northern Argentina, through Central America and some of the Caribbean. It can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In 2009, Brazilian researchers announced that a protein called Factor X active found in the saliva of the tick proved effective in stopping the growth of certain cancer cells in laboratory mice.