Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Register
·
Log In
Home
Guide
ID Request
Recent
Frass
Forums
Donate
Help
Clickable Guide
Calendar
Upcoming Events
Registration
is open for the
2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho
July 24-27
Moth submissions
from
National Moth Week 2023
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico
, July 20-24
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana
, April 28-May 2
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
2019 gathering in Louisiana
, July 25-27
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
2018 gathering in Virginia
, July 27-29
Previous events
Taxonomy
Browse
Info
Images
Links
Books
Data
Home
» Guide »
Arthropods (Arthropoda)
»
Hexapods (Hexapoda)
»
Insects (Insecta)
»
Flies (Diptera)
»
Calyptratae
»
Oestroidea
»
Bot Flies (Oestridae)
»
New World Skin Bot Flies (Cuterebrinae)
»
Rodent and Lagomorph Bot Flies (Cuterebra)
»
fontinella group (Cuterebra fontinella group)
»
Mouse Bot Fly (Cuterebra fontinella)
»
Cuterebra fontinella fontinella
Photo#669465
Copyright © 2012
RogerC
Bot fly -
Cuterebra fontinella
St.Catharines, Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada
July 2, 2012
Size: @1 inch long
I believe it's a Botfly of some kind but it doesn't have the red in the eyes like the other ones I've seen on BugGuide.
tag
·
login
or
register
to post comments
Contributed by
RogerC
on 6 July, 2012 - 12:21pm
Last updated 7 August, 2012 - 8:48am
Cuterebra fontinella fontinella
Hi Rodger,
Thanks for the nice photo. The red in bot eyes is a trait for the rabbit bots only. This one is a big fat female mouse bot, Cuterebra fontinella fontinella. I think Pixar needs to use these gals for a character! Vassili Belov at BugGuide thinks someone should make a stuff toy of these! I really enjoy seeing these flies on BugGuide. This is the most common bot in North America, because it uses white footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) as the host (also very common). In some years in our area, 80% of the mice have 1-2 of these bots per mouse. And I have had 150 mice per ha. So a ton of bots out there, yet adults are rarely seen.
There is also another subspecies (C. f. grisea) in your area which uses deer mice (P. maniculatus) as a host. These are likely going to become valid species at some point, so I have been sorting BugGuide to both. We are doing a botfly dna project, so if you still have this one in hand and are willing to part with it, email me at boettner@psis.umass.edu. I just got 4 samples of C. f. grisea from NV to do some dna comparisons so I can allways use fresh specimens. I pin the fly as a voucher, and we use 1 leg for dna sequencing.
Bots do not feed as adults (they have no true mouth parts), so they are short lived. Yours looks very fresh, so could live 10 days or so at most. Thanks for the post.
Jeff
…
George "Jeff" Boettner
, 7 August, 2012 - 9:50am
login
or
register
to post comments
Thanks for the info.
Thanks Jeff for all the great information. Sorry, no I don't have the fly in my posession. If by some chance I happen across another one, I'll be sure to let you know. But it doesn't sound like they are seen very much. I'm glad to have had the chance to see on up close.
Roger.
…
RogerC
, 7 August, 2012 - 12:48pm
login
or
register
to post comments
Thanks back
Hi Rodger,
No problem. I have a number of these, and larvae are easy to come by. But nice to see your chubby adult. Bet she lays a lot of eggs! Bummer to be a mouse at that site :)
Fun to see. Keep on finding stuff.
Jeff
…
George "Jeff" Boettner
, 7 August, 2012 - 1:36pm
login
or
register
to post comments
Moved tentatively & cropped; lovely shot.
Moved from
Rodent and Lagomorph Bot Flies
.
…
v belov
, 7 August, 2012 - 8:48am
login
or
register
to post comments
Definitely a bot fly
Hopefully others will be able to tell more.
Moved from
ID Request
.
…
metrioptera
, 6 July, 2012 - 12:38pm
login
or
register
to post comments
Comment viewing options
Flat list - collapsed
Flat list - expanded
Threaded list - collapsed
Threaded list - expanded
Date - newest first
Date - oldest first
10 comments per page
30 comments per page
50 comments per page
70 comments per page
90 comments per page
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.