Cochliomyia hominivorax
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Source: The Mexican-American Commission for the Eradication of the Screwworm - Wikimedia Commons
Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel, 1858) - (New World screwworm)
The screwworm is a serious pest of livestock and humans in the New World, causing myiasis. The larvae feed on the living tissue inside wounds. Infestations cause considerable injuries and can lead to death. The current distribution includes South America and some Caribbean islands. It has been controlled with the sterile insect technique since the 1950s. Many million mass-produced sterile flies are released per week during a campaign. Eradication has been achieved from the U.S.A. (by 1982), Mexico (by 1991), and most other Central American countries. A permanent barrier has been established at the Panama-Colombian border. In this barrier, sterile flies are continuously released to prevent reinfestation from South America. In 1988, the fly established in Libya, North Africa and was eradicated from there by 1991. For review of control campaigns see Mastrangelo & Welch, 2012.
The female fly lays its eggs on the wounds of warm-blooded animals and humans. The larvae hatch from the eggs after less than a day and then bore into the wound, causing severe tissue damage. The larval development is completed after only 5-7 days. The mature larvae then drop to the ground for pupation.
| Vernacular names | |
|---|---|
| • Deutsch: | Neuwelt-Schraubenwurmfliege |
| • English: | screwworm New World screwworm |
| • Español: | gusano barrenador del ganado |
| • Français: | lucilie bouchère |
The adult flies feed on nectar and excretions from the wounds. They can disperse over more than 100 km during their lives. The adult is 8-10 mm long with a metallic blue-greenish colour. The larvae have two prominent, curved hooks at the anterior end.
Synonyms:
Cochliomyia americana
For a review see Scott et al. (2017).
- Other images of Cochliomyia hominivorax (Wikimedia Commons and IPM Images - click to enlarge)
larva
larva
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