Mystery Fly - Cuterebra fontinella

Moved

Moved from Rodent and Lagomorph Bot Flies.

… Charley Eiseman, 30 August, 2011 - 8:27pm

Forgot to mention, from the

Forgot to mention, from the spacing between the eyes I suspect this is a female but a bit hard to tell.
Jeff

… George "Jeff" Boettner, 6 August, 2011 - 7:33am

Cuterebra fontinella fontinella

The white rump combined with the dark back makes this Cuterebra fontinella subspecies fontinella. This is a botfly which uses white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) as a host. In northern Michigan there is another sub species which uses deer mice as a host. So it is helpful that you took shots from several angles as these species are similar. This is one of the most common bots in North America, but adults are rarely seen as they only tend to live for about 1 week to 10 days.
Mounting trick. When pinning these guys it is best to let them live for a few days to burn off fat. They are pure fat reserves so this one may get dark and greasy on you over time. But you might get lucky. Make sure you keep it in a tight box with some kind of killing agent (like moth balls) as dermestid beetles love to eat these guys too. Nice catch. If you can, post a pic of the face too. I am interested in the variations on these guys.
Thanks for the post.
Jeff Boettner

… George "Jeff" Boettner, 6 August, 2011 - 7:31am

Thanks for all the interestin

Thanks for all the interesting details. Hope the added pictures are what you where looking for. :)

… Bug Kids, 17 August, 2011 - 6:18pm

Thanks!

Thanks for posting the face shot! Really nice. For sure C. f. fontinella. Some of the details fade over time so nice to have the pics with a specimen. A fun find. There are about 4 more species of Cuterebra bots in Michigan for you to find. Happy hunting. Adults are not easy to find.
Jeff

… George "Jeff" Boettner, 18 August, 2011 - 9:58am

Rodent Bot Fly Cuterebra fon

Rodent Bot Fly
Cuterebra fontinella
Order: Diptera

… Bug Kids, 5 August, 2011 - 8:18pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… v belov, 5 August, 2011 - 7:46pm