botfly

American  

[bot-flahy] / ˈbɒtˌflaɪ /

Or bot fly

noun

plural

botflies

1. any of several flies of the families Oestridae, Gasterophilidae, and Cuterebridae, the larvae of which are parasitic in the skin or other parts of various mammals.

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botfly British  

/ ˈbɒtˌflaɪ /

noun

1. any of various stout-bodied hairy dipterous flies of the families Oestridae and Gasterophilidae , the larvae of which are parasites of man, sheep, and horses

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Etymology

Origin of botfly

First recorded in 1810–20; bot ² + fly ¹

Example Sentences

There are about as many ways to get rid of botfly larvae as people you talk to.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2011

Gravid botfly females apparently catch mosquitos on the wing and then lay their eggs on the mosquito’s body.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2011

So far, the U.S. has been spared the activities of yet another botfly, still more repulsive, that makes man its unwilling and miserable host.

From Time Magazine Archive

Dr. Langmuir, having studied ballistics formulae, showed that if the botfly flew at 800 m.p.h. the wind pressure against its head would be 8 Ib. per sq. in., "probably enough to crush the fly."

From Time Magazine Archive

Hematological values in deer mice in relation to botfly infection.

From Comparative Ecology of Pinyon Mice and Deer Mice in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado by Douglas, Charles L.