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Oestridae

Oestridae

9.9
A group of flies whose young live inside animals such as cows and horses and harm them
  • noun
  • /ˈɛstrɪdi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Oestridae
  • The larvae of Oestridae can cause serious health issues in livestock.

Examples

  • Farmers often treat cattle for infestations of Oestridae to prevent warbles.

  • Veterinarians are trained to identify the presence of Oestridae in animal hosts.

  • Even within that astonishing context, few entomologists would dispute the exceptional nature—both visually and biologically—of G. rhinocerontis, in the family Oestridae.

    Academic text (2006)

Synonyms

family Oestridae
vsOestridae
  • Specialized
9.5

Large flies whose young live inside animals like cows and horses and cause harm

is broader and does not mention size or that larvae live inside hosts

Compounds

family Oestridae
  • Specialized
9.5

Large flies whose young live inside animals like cows and horses and cause harm

Surface Forms

Oestridae singular
Oestridaes plural

Morphology

Oestridae = Oestrus (opaque) = oestr + idae

The formation uses the specialized zoological family suffix '-idae' attached to a genus name, which is not predictable for an average learner.

Etymology

Oestridae comes from the Greek word oistros, meaning 'gadfly' or 'sting'. So think of a biting fly: Oestridae is the name for a family of flies and the ending -idae shows 'family', and their larvae live in and can harm mammals.