Fly - Cuterebra approximata

thanks for adding another species to the guide, guys

… v belov, 20 July, 2011 - 10:29am

Cuterebra approximata female

Excited to see your post. I don't get to see this bot in the east. I just spent 2 months in British Columbia and was hoping I would see this one, but it flies too late...I was there in May and June.
The type specimen for this species was collected by the naturalist J. K. Lord (he wrote a 2 volume series called The naturalist in Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1866). So neat that you are still seeing what he saw 150 years earlier.
This fly is a parasite of Peromyscus (mice). Most records reared from Peromyscus maniculatus (deer mice). Females of this species are mostly black with some white spotting around the eyes. Males are more black and white and you would think they were different species.
I am trying look at dna in the bots (to use to help in creating a key to the larval and adult stages as well as look at how these bots evolved. If you still have the specimen and are willing to part with it, this is a tricky one for me to find. If you email me direct at boettner@psis.umass.edu I can tell you how to send it or answer any questions you might have about it.
Thanks for the post. Makes me want to be back out west.
Jeff

… George "Jeff" Boettner, 20 July, 2011 - 9:21am

I forgot to comment that alth

I forgot to comment that although this bot was attracted to your quarter, it is not a reindeer bot, but a mouse bot. :) But there are reindeer bots, but in a different Genus.

… George "Jeff" Boettner, 20 July, 2011 - 9:26am

LOL

… Budzilla, 20 July, 2011 - 1:25pm

ive seen this

when i lived in extreme northern minnesota these were very common place... its a horse fly

… jackie31180, 19 July, 2011 - 10:21pm

Not a horse fly

These do look a little like some of the big black Tabanus horse flies, but the large halteres (almost like a second set of wings behind the wings, which help the fly balance the wings in flight) combined with very different eyes and other features make this a bot fly for sure and not a Tabanid.
Jeff

… George "Jeff" Boettner, 20 July, 2011 - 12:04pm

no horse fly, and doesn't look like one

the correct ID had been provided

… v belov, 19 July, 2011 - 10:36pm

Reminds me of

a Bot fly:

Let's see if anyone else agrees.

… Ken Wolgemuth, 19 July, 2011 - 7:53pm

I thought they ony lived in t

I thought they ony lived in the tropics?!!!!!
I agree it does look like your bot fly but are they quarter sized? Is this the laying eggs on human bot fly type? (getting grossed out now)!

… Budzilla, 19 July, 2011 - 8:06pm

No, rodent bot!

Well, rodent or rabbit bot. Nice specimen. I have a friend who works on these so maybe he can offer more information and a more specific ID....

… Eric R. Eaton, 19 July, 2011 - 8:17pm

Thanks that makes me feel muc

Thanks that makes me feel much better! LOL
I currently have it in a jar in my spare frig while I wait for my camera battery to charge. I will try to get some better pics and will post later. Anyone want it? LOL

… Budzilla, 19 July, 2011 - 9:02pm

Would love it!

Hi Budzilla,
Yes, I would love this for my work. Once you get the pics you want I can tell you how to ship it. I will pay for shipping and your handling for sure. This would be a huge help to me. I am working on an updated key to the bots, with less jargon and doing some work on the bot evolution. This would be a huge help. My email address is boettner@psis.umass.edu If you email me I will give you my address and how to send it.
Be careful doing photos. These guys fly very fast once they warm and you could lose it outdoors. Face shot, side shot, top shot and rear shot would be a nice post on BugGuide to help ID them for others?

… George "Jeff" Boettner, 20 July, 2011 - 12:11pm

Well I managed to take a few

Well I managed to take a few more pics before she woke up then I stuffed her back in the jar. You are more than welcome to her!!! There are now a bunch of tiny off white eggs? on the bottom of the jar. Would you like those too?

… Budzilla, 20 July, 2011 - 1:28pm

Thanks!

That confirms the female ID! Don't lick those eggs or get them in an open wound :) They should only hatch at the temperature of the proper host.
My address is:

George "Jeff" Boettner
Plant,Soil and Insect Sciences
115 Agric. Eng. Bld.
250 Natural Resources Road
UMASS-Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003
My cell phone is 413-325-5563

If you could send via 2 day overnight. I will reimburse you plus cover your troubles. I know its a pain to send international overnight but the dna degrades after death. If you can't send right away after it dies (or after you freeze it), then keep it in a freezer until you are ready to mail it. Feel free to enjoy her till she dies, they pin up better after they have burned off some fat reserves, and since they don't feed as adults its an easy pet. They rarely live more than about 10 days...and no telling how long she was alive before you found it. Since the mail is international you need to freeze the insect to kill it, so you are not shipping a live critter. If you put it in a plastic vial with some tissue paper below it and above it to keep it from moving (or bouncing) at all in the vial. Then it could go in the overnight envelope? I would take the eggs as well. On the customs form simply write "dead insect for ID" and give it a value of $1 or so. Let me know what it costs and I will send a check right away. I can relax the fly and pin it on this end. Also include a note with when and where you found it and your name so I can give you credit for it in any publications. I am really excited to get it. Feel free to email me with any questions: boettner@psis.umass.edu or call my cell above.

… George "Jeff" Boettner, 20 July, 2011 - 2:17pm

BTW no worries about me licki

BTW no worries about me licking those eggs!

… Budzilla, 20 July, 2011 - 2:25pm

freezing over night good or d

freezing over night good or does it need to be longer?

… Budzilla, 20 July, 2011 - 2:22pm

freezing

Freezing for a few hours is likely fine. Freeze till you are ready to send it.
Jeff

… George "Jeff" Boettner, 20 July, 2011 - 3:49pm

by all means, take and post more pix

Jeff Boettner of UMASS-Amherst might well be interested in the specimen, he's an avid bot student

… v belov, 19 July, 2011 - 9:38pm