engleski

First identification of Pharyngomyia picta in red deer in Republic of Croatia

Context: Bot flies are obligate parasites and, depending on their species, parasitize in different parts of the host organism where they can cause different pathological changes in organs and organ systems by their presence and during migration. A special group of bot flies are ones that invade the respiratory tract, i.e. nasopharyngeal botflies whose females do not lay eggs but larvae, therefore the parasites don’t need to hatch and they are ready to infest as they arrive on the host. One such species not yet described in the Republic of Croatia is Pharyngomya picta. Aim: The aim of this study was to present the first case of a deer invasion with the bot fly P. picta. Case study: A red deer stag was found dead in the late winter period at a red deer farm near Zagreb. The necropsy revealed numerous bot fly larvae in the upper and lower respiratory passages. The bronchi and trachea were filled with foam and the heart was congested. All observed findings suggested suffocation to be the primary cause of death. From the nasopharyngeal cavity of red deer, five botflies of unknown species were isolated. According to the morphological keys, i.e. length and width of the larvae, morphology of antennae, presence/absence and morphology of the spines on particular segments and morphology of the peritremes, it was possible to distinguish different larval stages and identify the species. Morphological identification revealed the presence of two larval stages, one of which was L2 and four were L3 from nasopharyngeal bot flies group, of P. picta. Implications: To the authors knowledge, despite the fact that bot flies are frequently found in red and roe deer, this is the first species identification of Pharyngomyia picta in red deer in the Republic of Croatia.

red deer, Pharyngomyia picta, Republic of Croatia

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