Welcome

Do you have bugs in your stomach? We know that horses do! Discover the nuisance of horses and their owners across the globe:  Gasterophilus intestinalis, commonly known as the horse bot fly.  This parasite inhabits and feeds from the stomach of mostly horses, as well as a few similar mammals.  Although horses are relatively resistant to the negative effects of their presence, excessive amounts can be very harmful, even fatal (Featured Creatures, 1996).  It is important to us, the creators of this website, for you to get to know more about this organism in order to treat against it.

Through the means of this website we will inform you of the taxonomy of the horse bot fly, expanding on its evolutionary significance.  We will further elucidate its unique habitat, including the other organisms it shares it with.  Due to the fact it is a parasitic organism, we will define its interaction with its host and any other organisms it may affect.  We will describe the successful adaptations of its morphology, along with its life cycle, including reproduction.  Finally, we will propose a treatment plan.  We hope you learn a lot!  Enjoy!

Let's begin by eploring the evolution of the classification of the horse bot fly!

This website is for a class project at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.              (Ken Gray Image Courtesy of Oregon State University) If you want to look at other projects check out MultipleOrganisms.net.