''Hypoderma tarandi'', also known as the reindeer warble fly and reindeer botfly, is a species of

warble fly Warble fly is a name given to the genus ''Hypoderma'': large flies which are parasitic on cattle and deer. Other names include "heel flies", "bomb flies" and "gadflies", while their larvae are often called "cattle grubs" or "wolves." Common speci ...

that is parasitic on reindeer. The larvae of this fly are a skin-penetrating ectoparasite that usually infest populations of reindeer and

caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

in Arctic areas, causing harm to the hides, meat and milk in domesticated herds. They also may cause ophthalmomyiasis in humans, leading to uveitis, glaucoma and

retinal detachment Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Initial detachment may be localized, but without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blin ...

. ''H. lineatum'' and ''H. sinense'' may also infest humans.

As food

In cold climates supporting reindeer- or

-reliant populations, large quantities of ''Hypoderma tarandi'' maggots are available to human populations during the butchery of animals. ''Hypoderma tarandi'' larvae were part of the traditional diet of the Nunamiut people. Copious art dating back to the Pleistocene in Europe confirms their consumption in premodern times, as well. The sixth episode of season one of the television series ''

Beyond Survival ''Beyond Survival'' is a Canadian documentary television show hosted by survival expert Les Stroud. Episodes See also * ''Survivorman'', TV series starring Les Stroud * ''Survive This ''Survive This'' is a Canadian reality television show i ...

'' entitled "The Inuit - Survivors of the Future" features survival expert Les Stroud and two Inuit guides hunting caribou on the northern coast of

Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is , slightly larger than Spain; its population was 13,039 as of the 2021 Canadia ...

near Pond Inlet,

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

, Canada. Upon skinning and butchering of one of the animals, numerous larvae (presumably ''Hypoderma tarandi'', although not explicitly stated) are apparent on the inside of the caribou pelt. Stroud and his two Inuit guides eat (albeit somewhat reluctantly) one larva each, with Stroud commenting that the larva "tastes like milk" and was historically commonly consumed by the Inuit.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q11888717 Oestridae Veterinary entomology Parasitic flies Parasitic arthropods of mammals Reindeer Edible insects Insects of the Arctic Flies described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus