Cordylobia rodhaini, also known as the Lund's fly, derived its common name from captain Lund, who was the first European to show symptoms of the disease caused by the larvae of the same fly. Lund’s fly belongs to the genus Cordylobia, flies from the family Calliphoridae. The larvae of the Lund’s fly are parasites of thinned-skinned mammals, especially the Gambian rat, mona monkey and small antelopes and are only accidental parasites of humans. The adult flies feeds on rotting fruits, vegetables and animal feces, and are most abundant in the wet season. Like many tropical insects they are most active in the dark periods and have the greatest activity early in the morning and late in the evening while resting typically between 8am to 5pm. The Lund’s fly are largely confined to tropical Africa, especially the rainforest areas in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result of human migration, though, the parasitic infections they cause have been recorded in other continents, including Europe and Asia. Life cycle The life cycle of Lund's fly typically lasts from 55 to 67 days. The female fly lays up to 500 eggs and deposits her eggs on dry sand polluted with the excrement of animals, or can also lay them on human clothing. In about three days, the larva attached to its host, is then activated by the warm body of the host. The larva then hatches and breaks through the skin. A maturing larva induces a painful swelling. In about 12 to 15 days, the larva reaches a length of about 23 mm, exits the skin of the host, and falls to the ground to pupate. The adult fly emerges in 23 to 26 days, and the life cycle continues. Larval structure Lund’s fly is parasitic at its larval stage. Under examination with a scanning electron microscope, it appears whitish and barrel-shaped, with 11 segments. Its body is almost completely covered by large cone-shaped spines. These spines serve as a point of attachment to its host. The larvae have a brown apex, pointing towards the posterior end where fewer spines occur. Two bulges exist in the anterior end with paired mouth hooks at the anterior end of the larvae. After hatching, the larvae penetrate into the dermis and molt to second- and third-instar larvae before emerging from the skin. The third-instar larvae have an approximate length of 1.5 cm and are distinctively less elongated and