"Botflies: The Internal Parasitic Flies Infesting Mammals - Unveiling the World of Oestridae"

Oestridae is a family of flies commonly known as botflies or warble flies. They belong to the order Diptera and the superfamily Oestroidea. The family Oestridae includes several subfamilies, including Cuterebrinae, Gasterophilinae, Hypodermatinae, and Oestrinae. The Oestridae family is characterized by its internal parasitic larvae, which infest the bodies of mammals, including humans and various other animals.

The life cycle of botflies can vary depending on the species. The larvae of botflies are internal parasites that develop inside the host's body. Some species of botflies grow in the flesh of their hosts, while others grow within the hosts' alimentary tracts. The larvae cause myiasis, which is the infestation of living tissues or organs by fly larvae.

The word "bot" in botfly refers to a maggot. The presence of botfly larvae can result in the formation of skin lumps or calluses known as warbles. These warbles can be caused by the larvae growing under the host's skin.

The most well-known species of botfly that parasitizes humans is Dermatobia hominis. However, there are other species of flies that can cause myiasis in humans, although less commonly.

The Oestridae family is part of the superfamily Oestroidea, along with other families such as Calliphoridae, Mesembrinellidae, Mystacinobiidae, Polleniidae, Rhiniidae, Rhinophoridae, Sarcophagidae, Tachinidae, and Ulurumyiidae. The Oestridae family has the highest proportion of species whose larvae live as obligate parasites within the bodies of mammals compared to other families of flies causing myiasis. There are approximately 150 known species of botflies worldwide.

In addition to the information from Wikipedia, the Britannica article provides further details about specific subfamilies within the Oestridae family. For example, the subfamily Gasterophilinae includes horse bot flies that parasitize horses. The larvae of horse bot flies are ingested by horses and attach themselves to the lining of the horse's stomach or intestine. The larvae obtain nourishment and oxygen from the horse's alimentary canal and eventually mature and are eliminated with excrement. The article also mentions the subfamily Oestrinae, which includes deer nose bot flies and sheep bot flies. The larvae of Oestrinae, when deposited in the nostrils of sheep, can cause a condition called blind staggers. The subfamily Cuterebrinae contains important rodent bot flies, such as Cuterebra cuniculi, which infects rabbits, and the tree squirrel bot fly, which attacks the scrotum of squirrels. The human bot fly, Dermatobia hominis, is also mentioned in the article. It attaches its eggs to mosquitoes or other insects that carry the eggs to the host, and the larvae penetrate the skin, causing myiasis.