Oestridae

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Oestridae (warble flies, bot flies; order Diptera, suborder Cyclorrapha) Small family of stout, hairy flies, which are often bee-like. Their antennae are short, and partially sunken into facial grooves. The larvae are all intestinal parasites of large mammals, found beneath the skin, where they feed on exudations from the host tissues. The larvae of Hypoderma species (warble flies) form swellings (‘warbles’) on either side of the spine of their host after migrating through the subdermal tissues. The mature larvae bore through the hide of the host before pupating on the ground. The sheep-nostril fly, or bot fly, is larviparous, the young larvae being deposited in the nostrils of sheep, from where they migrate to the sinuses. So far 60 species have been recognized. See also GASTEROPHILIDAE.