BBC WILDLIFE MAGAZINE - Researchers in California are preparing for the possible return of a parasitic flesh-eating fly which once decimated livestock.
The New World screwworm is the larval (or maggot) stage of a blowfly known as Cochliomyia hominivorax. While most blowflies are harmless and feed on decaying carcasses, the screwworm feeds on living tissue.
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Tackling screwworm
“It hasn’t been found in California yet, but it’s within 70 miles of the Texas border,” said Amy Murillo, an assistant professor of entomology at the University of California Riverside (UCR). “We need to be prepared.”