Russian Rhinoestrus Fly

The Russian Rhinoestrus Fly, or Russian Gadfly, Rhinoestrus purpureus Br., is a two-winged insect of the family Oestridae. The adult gadfly does not take any food. The female, while in flight, gives birth to living larvae, which it 'squirts' into the nostrils of horses. Covered with spines, the larvae (about 1 mm long) attach to the mucous membrane and crawl into the nasal cavity, where they pass through three developmental stages. The size of the mature larva is 18x7 mm. Before forming a cocoon, it

Larva of Rhinoestrus purpureus.

falls to the ground, where it transforms into a false cocoon, from which the adult gadfly will eventually emerge. Larvae of the gadfly are also found in the frontal sinuses, pharynx, and even in the larynx of horses. Their parasitism is accompanied by discharge of pus from the nostrils, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity, difficult breathing, coughing, and other symptoms. Sometimes these symptoms simulate glanders. Based on the habitat of the Russian gadfly larvae, it is classified among the cavity-dwelling gadflies (Cavicolae). This insect can also squirt its larvae into human eyes; the larvae attach to the conjunctiva or sclera, causing inflammation, and sometimes damage to the eyeball. The larvae are removed from the eye by washing with boric water. The gadfly lives in the central and southern parts of the USSR and in the Kirghiz steppes.