additional bot fly pics
Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 12:02 PM
I saw that you posted some bot fly pics, but they were a little fuzzy. Here are a few I took that are a little more detailed. Perhaps not the exact same kind of bot fly, but pretty similar. There appear to be three tiny eyes between its two big compound eyes.
Vince
Northern Indiana
Bot Fly
Hi Vince,
Thanks for sending us your Bot Fly images. Now people can understand why the Interested Mountain Girl thought it looked like a mutant.
I like ThisRelated posts:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination
Mutant? I think it looks like a pug dog.
Today 9/26/09 my cat brought me a chipmunk with what appeared to be three Rodent Botfly larva attached. I had never know about the critters. The chipmuck was in shock and lay still as I watched the larva “back out” from the chipmunk’s body. I hope I am able to post the photo.
Please use the identification form which will allow you to attach images. Please put Bot Fly in the subject line.
Hi Vince,
This is also a female rabbit bot fly, Cuterebra buccata. As carpwoman wrote, it does look like a pugnose dog. These bots do not have mouth parts so they can’t feed as adults, which makes them look “pug” like. Bots with red in the eyes are rabbit parasites. Your species is common in the east and mostly uses Sylvilagus floridanus as a host, although other species of Sylvilagus have been reported. A very pretty fly!
Jeff Boettner