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Oestridae
"Botflies deposit eggs on a host, or sometimes use an intermediate vector such as the common housefly, mosquitoes and even a species of tick (see Dermatobia hominis). The smaller fly is firmly held by the botfly female and rotated to a position where the botfly attaches some 30 eggs to the body under the wings. Larvae from these eggs, stimulated by the warmth and proximity of a large mammal host, drop onto its skin and burrow underneath.[2] Intermediate vectors are often used since a number of animal hosts recognise the approach of a botfly and flee.[3] Eggs are deposited on animal skin directly, or the larvae hatch and drop from the eggs attached to the intermediate vector: the body heat of the host animal induces hatching upon contact or immediate proximity. Some forms of botfly also occur in the digestive tract after ingestion by licking. Ox warble-fly (Hypoderma bovis) Myiasis can be caused by larvae burrowing 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, and thus are true parasites (though some species of rodent-infesting botflies do consume the host's testes/ovaries). The equine bot fly presents seasonal difficulties to equestrian caretakers, as it lays eggs on the insides of horse's front legs, on the cannon bone and knees, and sometimes on the throat or nose, depending on the species of bot fly. These eggs, which look like small, yellow drops of paint, must be carefully removed during the laying season (late summer and early fall) to prevent infestation in the horse. When a horse rubs its nose on its legs, the eggs are transferred to the mouth, and from there to the intestines, where the larvae grow and attach themselves to the stomach's lining or they pass into the small intestine and attach there. The attachment of the larvae to the tissue produces a mild irritation which results in erosions and ulcerations at this site.[4] Removal of the eggs (which adhere to the host's hair) is difficult, since the bone and tendons are directly under the skin on the cannon bones: eggs must be removed with a sharp knife (often a razor blade) or rough sand paper, and caught before they reach the ground. The larvae remain attached and develop for 10–12 months before they are passed out in the feces. Occasionally horse owners will report seeing the bot fly larvae in horse manure. These larvae are cylindrical in shape and are reddish orange in color. In 1–2 months adult bot flies will emerge from the developing larvae and the cycle will repeat.[4] Bots can be controlled with several types of dewormers, including dichlorvos, ivermectin and trichlorfon. In cattle, the lesions caused by these flies can become infected by Mannheimia granulomatis, a bacterium that causes lechiguana, characterized by rapid growing, hard lumps beneath the skin of the animal. Without antibiotics an affected animal will die within 3–11 months.[5][6] The human botfly occasionally uses humans as the host to its larvae. The larva, because of its spines, can pose an extremely painful sub-epidermal condition. Removal processes include placing raw meat on to the area, which in theory will coax the larva out.[citation needed] Another option is to use the tree sap of the matatorsalo, found in Costa Rica, which is reputed to kill the larva, yet leave its body in the skin.[7] Additionally, one can attempt to seal the breathing hole of the larva with nail polish or vaseline and then, after a day, squeeze out the suffocated, dead larva.[8] Use of adhesive tape can work, but carries additional risk of infection because portions of the larva's breathing tube can be broken off by the tape and make the remainder of the body difficult to remove." Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botfly
Found this interesting guy at the top of the Tower in Mount Albion Cemetery. Really sort of creepy, but interesting at the same time.
Ugh, so the maggot they took out of my shoulder would have grown up to be THAT. That's just lovely.
Brandon, this specimen of Cuterebra abdominalis was found in Saratoga, NY, pretty close to you and looks almost exactly the same:
http://bug-guide.net/node/view/287397/bg...
Awesome!
Here is a close match:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/451527/bgi...
Thank you Brandon! There are so many new missions now that we can create our own :) It's nice to have you back on here!
Whoa! Cindy, didn't know there was a new mission on flies? LOL, it's winter time here, and haven't been doing much outdoor macro shots, and haven't been on Noah, for quite some time. Will definitely add it to the mission.
Thank you for letting me know about the new mission!
Please consider adding this awesome spotting to the Flies! mission http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/8526...
Keith, this very well could be a human bot fly, as an import. We are near the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario to be exact, lots of people traffic in and out of areas like Buffalo, which is only an hour from where this photo was taken, Niagara Falls is right there as well. I am not sure how it would have traveled this way, but there very well could be more if this does match up with the HBF. I have seen many North American flies, and this one doesn't fit anything I've ever seen before.
The closest relative photograph I could find to the one I have here is an Elk Bot Fly, from Northern Europe.
http://arbroath.blogspot.com/2011/05/swe...
If you happen upon an Exact match please let me know.
You hear horror stories about people who visit other Countries like Africa and they come home and find they have a Human bot fly maggot in them and Doctors rush to get it out. Do you think these originated from another Country and this is a Human bot fly? Ones this big are not even in my Insect guide books only slender looking bot flies of livestock!
No worries, Karen. Bot Flies tend to be host specific. There is a Human Bot Fly, but it is uncommon and its range extends from Mexico through South America.
They really are fascinating, although I looked up images on google and had to click off... Something about parasites really creeps me out. One of the very few things on this planet that has that ability. Reading up on them is very interesting, from the technical and scientific aspect.
You are one up on me. I have never seen one. Bot flies are fascinating creatures. In some species, the adult Bot Fly lays its eggs on a mosquito. When the mosquito lands on the host, the eggs hatch and the larva drop off and burrow into the skin.
Keith, I believe you are correct, It appears to be a fully mature bot fly. This is the first I've seen here. (although I never use to pay attention to various fly species or insects for that matter until I joined this website).
Judging from the short, rounded abdomen, I think this may be a Bot Fly. Bot Flies are parasites of mammals. The larvae of Bot Flies burrow into the skin of their host where they feed on skin and connective tissue. The adults, as I recall, do not feed. This is appears to be something in Cuterebra, typically endoparasites of rabbits and rodents. Consider posting this image at Bug Guide for confirmation.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/53511/bgpa...
http://bugguide.net/node/view/6/bgimage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botfly
Very cool spotting.
Thank you Juan!!!! I am really all that familiar with the different fly species. I pretty know the common ones around here, like the horsefly, housefly, and deer fly. This guy was really neat!!!