Rat-tailed maggot

Rat-tailed maggots are the larvae of certain species of hoverflies belonging to the tribes Eristalini and Sericomyiini.

[1] A characteristic feature of rat-tailed maggots is a tube-like, telescoping breathing siphon located at their posterior end.

[2] The most commonly encountered rat-tailed maggot is the larva of the drone fly, Eristalis tenax.

[3] Occasionally, cases have been documented of human intestinal myiasis caused by the rat-tailed maggot.

They can survive feeding on feces at this site, as long as the breathing tube reaches towards the anus.