''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 spec ...
that is
parasitic
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...
on
reindeer
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 sub ...
.
The larvae of this fly are a skin-penetrating ectoparasite that usually infest populations of reindeer and
caribou in
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
areas, causing harm to the hides, meat and milk in domesticated herds. They also may cause
ophthalmomyiasis in humans, leading to
uveitis
Uveitis () is inflammation of the uvea, the pigmented layer of the eye between the inner retina and the outer fibrous layer composed of the sclera and cornea. The uvea consists of the middle layer of pigmented vascular structures of the eye and in ...
,
glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...
and
retinal detachment.
''H. lineatum'' and ''H. sinense'' may also infest humans.
[
]
As food
In cold climates supporting reindeer
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 sub ...
- or caribou-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
The Nunamiut or Nunatamiut ( ik, Nunataaġmiut, , "People of the Land") are semi-nomadic inland Iñupiat located in the northern and northwestern Alaskan interior, mostly around Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska.
History
Early Nunamiut lived by hunting carib ...
people. Copious art dating back to the Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...
in Europe confirms their consumption in premodern times, as well.Les Stroud
Les Stroud (born October 20, 1961) is a Canadian survival expert, filmmaker and musician best known as the creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series ''Survivorman''. Stroud was named Chief Scout by Sc ...
and two Inuit guides hunting caribou on the northern coast of Baffin Island near Pond Inlet
Pond Inlet ( iu, Mittimatalik, lit=the place where Mittima is buried) is a small, predominantly Inuit community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada, located on northern Baffin Island. To the Inuit the name of the place "is and always h ...
, Nunavut, 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.
See also
*Botfly
Botflies, also known as warble flies, heel flies, and gadflies, are a family of flies known as the Oestridae. Their larvae are internal parasites of mammals, some species growing in the host's flesh and others within the gut. '' Dermatobia hom ...
*'' Cephenemyia trompe'', the reindeer nose botfly, another parasitic reindeer fly
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