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rodent bot fly

insect
Also known as: Cuterebra

Quick Summary

Bot flies are a family of insects within the fly order, Diptera. These beelike, hairy flies have larvae that are parasitic on mammals. Rodent bot flies, a subfamily of bot flies, can infect rabbits, squirrels, and other rodents. For example, Cuterebra cuniculi infects rabbits, and C. emasculator attacks the scrotum of squirrels, sometimes leading to emasculation. The human bot fly (Dermatobia hominis) can infect livestock, deer, and humans, with its eggs being carried to hosts by other insects like mosquitoes. The larvae hatch due to body warmth and then penetrate the host's skin.1

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. bot fly
  2. list of flies

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