Bimodal-reproduction

Guides

• Cuterebra fontinella fontinella

  mouse bot fly, white-footed mouse bot fly

  Cuterebra fontinella fontinella is a subspecies of New World bot fly (family Oestridae) that parasitizes small mammals, primarily white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). The adult flies are large, bumble bee-sized, and lack functional mouthparts, living only briefly to reproduce. Females lay eggs near host burrow entrances; larvae hatch in response to host body heat, enter through orifices or wounds, and develop subcutaneously for approximately one month before exiting to pupate in soil. Despite forming conspicuous warbles that can reach 5% of host body weight, infections appear to have minimal negative impact on host survival and may even correlate with increased longevity in some populations.

  parasitemyiasisrodent-parasitebot-flyOestridaeCuterebrinaePeromyscuswhite-footed-mouseforest-edgeaggregation-behaviorbimodal-reproductionbenign-parasitismmimicrybumble-bee-mimic