Bot Fly vs Mango Fruit Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Bot Fly	Mango Fruit Fly
Scientific Name	Dermatobia hominis	Ceratitis cosyra
Order	Diptera	Diptera
Family	Oestridae	Tephritidae
Size	12-18 mm	5-7 mm
Habitat	Forests	Orchards
Diet	Parasites	Fruit Feeders
Regions	Central America, South America	East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia)
Conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern

Bot Fly

Parasitic fly whose larvae develop under the skin of mammals including humans. Female captures a mosquito and glues eggs to it — when the mosquito bites, body heat triggers egg hatching.

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Did You Know?

The human bot fly is so devious it hijacks mosquitoes — it catches them, glues eggs to their bodies, then the eggs hatch when the mosquito lands on warm skin.

Mango Fruit Fly

A small, colorful fly with patterned wings that is one of the most destructive pests of mangoes in East Africa. Females lay eggs under the skin of ripening fruit.

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Did You Know?

A single infested mango can contain dozens of larvae, and losses to fruit fly damage can exceed 80% of the harvest in unprotected orchards.