Botfly
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Oestridae (also called botfly or bot fly) is a family of Oestroidea. It is one of several families of hairy flies whose larvae live as parasites within the bodies of mammals, such as the Desert Woodrat. There are approximately 150 known species worldwide.
Lifecycle
- Adult botflies deposit eggs on a host body, or sometimes use an intermediate vector: common houseflies for example.
- Eggs are deposited on animal skin directly, or the larvae drop from the egg: the body heat of the animal induces hatching upon contact. Some forms of botfly also reside in the digestive tract when consumed by a licking action.
- Myiasis: larvae burrow into the skin (or tissue lining) of the host animal.
- Mature larvae drop from the host and complete the pupal stage in soil.
- They do not kill the host animal, thus are true parasites (though some species of rodent bots do consume the host's testes).
Human botfly
Only one bot fly attacks humans; for information on this species, see Dermatobia hominis.Deer Botfly
For the truth about the flight speed of this genus, see deer botfly.Reference
Pape, T. (2001). Phylogeny of Oestridae (Insecta: Diptera). Systematic Entomology 26, 133-171. doi: 10.1046/External links
- [Encyclopedia.com article]
- [Bot fly information page including pictures]
- ["Bug Attack" documentary: includes footage and description of botflies]
- [A snopes article concerning a botfly infestation (warning: contains grapic medical images]
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