The world’s smallest insect is a tiny ant-eating fly that measures less than half a millimeter. These parasitic flies, Euryplatea nanaknihali, lay their eggs in the bodies of ants so that they can devour them from the inside out.
Scientists have recently discovered this nifty little bug in Colombia. Its name is Scydosella musawasensis and its measurements were taken using digital micrographs.
Euryplatea nanaknihali
Euryplatea nanaknihali is a fly that measures less than half a millimeter in length. It’s a member of the 4,000 hump-backed flies known as phorid flies, which prey on ants.
Researchers have discovered the smallest insect in the world, a fly called Euryplatea nanaknihali. It’s one-fifteenth the size of a housefly and one-fifth the size of a fruit fly. This tiny fly was collected in Thailand as part of an entomological survey.
The world’s smallest insect is actually a parasitoid wasp that lays its eggs in other insects’ eggs. The species, Dicopomorpha echmepterygis, is also the smallest insect in its family, Mymaridae.
Males of this species, which is found in Costa Rica, have a body length of 0.139 mm, or seven-tenths of a millimeter. That’s much shorter than certain amoeba and single-celled bacteria like Paramecium or Thiomargarita magnifica.
They can also reach a weight of 71 g, which is three times heavier than a mouse and nearly twice the weight of a sparrow. Other contenders for the title include elephant beetles, which can weigh in at more than 50 g and 10 cm (3.9 in) long.
The world’s smallest mosquito, Uranotaenia lowii, is another strong contender. It’s also a member of the household fly family, which can range in length from 0.1 inches to 0.12 inches, or 1 millimeter to 3 millimeters.
Fairyflies
Fairyflies are a family of parasitic wasps (Mymaridae). They are among the world’s smallest insects, and they may be the smallest insect to ever live on Earth.
They are incredibly tiny, with females measuring only 0.005 inches long — that’s about the diameter of the tip of a drawing pen! They have frills on their wings that are thought to help them glide.
Researchers think that these frills reduce drag and turbulence, which helps them fly faster and farther than they otherwise would. They also make it easier for fairyflies to cling to a surface, such as a flower or a plant, which makes them more efficient.
Another way that fairyflies get so small is by shrinking their cells. Some of them super-condense their DNA, which makes their nuclei smaller and their bodies thinner. They also ditch as many neurons as they can. But they can’t get rid of all the neurons, which are needed for vital functions, such as controlling flight.
The smallest species of fairyflies have only 7400 neurons, which is a fraction of the hundreds of thousands found in larger insects. It’s unclear whether they can reduce their numbers any more.
Nevertheless, the tiny insects are not dangerous to humans. They are also important biological pest control agents in a wide variety of settings, including agriculture and forestry.
They’re also a great example of how much biodiversity is still unknown to scientists. We tend to focus on bigger or more charismatic species, so we don’t always see the smaller ones. But if we look more closely, we can see how diverse and complex our planet is. And it’s this diversity that gives us hope for the future.
Weevils
Weevils, which are less than a quarter of an inch long, belong to the Curculionidae family. They are plant eaters and the larvae of most species will damage crops.
They can be identified by their elongated heads that form a snout and a mouth at the end. They are primarily herbivorous, but they can also eat fruits, vegetables and other plants.
One of the most common weevils in the world is the wheat weevil, which is Sitophilus granarius. These insects are three to five mm in length and are distinguished by their chewing mouthparts and an elongated snout.
As they are able to feed on flour, grains and other stored edibles, they can be a pest to both homes and commercial fields. In fact, they are a significant problem in the agriculture industry, and they can cause severe economic losses to farmers.
A natural remedy for weevils is to put infested food items in direct sunlight for a day or two, and this will irritate the pests and make them move away from the infested foods. Other ways to prevent weevils from forming an infestation include using natural repellents such as cloves, bay leaves and neem leaves.
Another way to kill weevils is to empty any infested foods into air-tight containers and store them for up to two weeks before disposing of them. This process will ensure that any hatching weevils die and keep them from overrunning your home.
In addition, it is recommended that you thoroughly clean all pantry shelves with hot soapy water and wipe them down with white vinegar to kill any remaining weevils. It’s also a good idea to vacuum any cracks or crevices that may provide nesting spaces for these pesky bugs.
Ants
Ants, which are cousins to bees and wasps, have always been an interesting insect to researchers and animal enthusiasts. They are eusocial insects that live in large colonies and are capable of achieving complex tasks quickly with the help of their colleagues.
Ant colonies are superorganisms that rally hordes of individual ants into a single powerful entity. In most cases, the colony consists of a queen and several workers. The queen is responsible for egg production, while the workers are responsible for burrowing tunnels, policing conflicts within the colony and taking care of the larvae and queen.
The ants are able to complete their task efficiently due to the fact that each ant is specialized in one area of work. This makes them an excellent team player.
They are known for their ability to communicate with other ants via pheromones. These pheromones can identify rank and health, as well as indicate the status of food in the colony.
In addition, they can be used for identifying intruders by smelling them out, and to determine the level of safety within a colony by sending signals that indicate whether a nestmate is safe.
Another unique feature of ants is that they do not reproduce by normal sexual means, as most other animals do. Instead, some ants, such as the fungus gardening ant, clone themselves using an asexual method.
Ants also have three pairs of segmented legs that allow them to move fast and tread lightly on surfaces. Moreover, their antennae are clubbed or elbow-shaped and have various numbers of segments.
Mosquitos
Mosquitoes are tiny insects that are primarily found in warm, humid climates. They have long thin legs and a mouth part called a proboscis that they use to draw blood from humans or other animals.
Female mosquitoes are known to spread a number of diseases including malaria, yellow fever, dengue, tularemia and West Nile virus. These diseases can cause itchy red welts and can even lead to serious illness in some cases.
Despite their small size, mosquitoes have large wings that allow them to fly. However, they rarely do so, as their wings are only used to find food or mates and to get out of the way of other insects.
The mosquito genus Anopheles is famous for carrying the parasite Plasmodium that causes malaria. This disease is a leading cause of death worldwide, with over 5 million people killed each year.
In addition to their large wings, mosquitoes also have antennae that are used to find prey and mates. Their antennae have receptors that sense carbon dioxide, body odors and air movement.
When a female bites, she inserts her proboscis into the victim’s skin to find blood. This blood is needed for her to lay eggs.
Once she has located a source of blood, she injects a saliva that prevents the victim’s blood from clotting. This enables her to feed on the victim for up to three weeks.
Because mosquitoes are able to feed so quickly and spread such diseases, they are a major problem in many areas around the world. They can also spread filariasis, a parasitic infection that results in painful swellings and disfigurement in some people.