bot fly


bot fly

A dipterous insect of the family, Estridae, of many different species, affecting humans (Dermatobia hominis) and domestic animals (e.g., horses, oxen and sheep), on which they deposit their eggs; a common species is the horse botfly, Gastrophilus equi, the larvae (bots) of which are taken into the host’s stomach, where they live for months before passing through their larval states. In tropical America, botflies may live under the skin or in the stomach.