Top 8 smallest and incredible insect in the world

 In our day to day life, we must have observed some insect species in our surrounding environment. They may be found in our home, outside the ground, soil, etc. Most insects spend 97%of of their life on land. But from this insect species variety, there are some of the smallest insects which may not be seen easily and these incredible insects have their different features which may amaze us.

Here are some list of top 8 smallest and incredible insect in the world which may benefit you to gather knowledge about them which are described below.

#1 SCARLET DWARF DRAGONFLY

They are also commonly known as the northern pygmy or tiny dragonfly. They are mainly native to Southeast Asia to China and Japan and periodically found in the south of Australia. They are one of the most extensive Asian species but due to threats negatively they gradually lose their habitats like swamps, marsh, and grassy fields as a result of a population decline quickly, presently they have been listed in the IUCN Red list under LC (least concern) categories.

Scientific Classification:-

Order-Odonata

Suborder-Anisoptera

Family -Libellulidae

Genus-Nanaphya

Species-N.pygmaea

Binomial Nomenclature -Nanaphya pygmaea

Features:-

Male body range from 16 to 17 mm and hindwing is 12 to 13 mm long.

The Male is quite a bright red color which made their body more attractive and their undersides of the hindwing and forewing present some yellow-tinted.

Female is a brownish yellow color and their abdomen with some light band.

The wingspan of only 20 mm or 3/4 in.

#2 PHARAOH ANT

They are found in almost every portion of the world including Southeast Asia, Europe, America,  Australasia. Earlier they native to Africa but it major pest distribution across the United States, Australia, and Europe.

They use to live in warm temperatures, humid conditions area near the food and water source. But they can also survive in low temperatures.

 They are often found in infectious hospitals, hotels, grocery stores, and their nest is located in an inaccessible area such as wall void, underfloor, etc.

Scientific Classification:-

Order-Hymenoptera

Family -Formicidae

Genus-Monomorium

Species-M.pharaoris

Binomial Nomenclature -Monomorium pharaohs

Features:-

Male ant is about 3 mm long and their body is black.

Queen ant is 3.6-5 mm long with a dark red body.

Pharaoh worker is about 1.5 to 2 mm long, they are light yellow to reddish-brown with a darker abdomen.

The male has winged but does not fly and the female also doesn't fly, initially had wings that are lost after mating.

 They can transmit contaminate patients wound which causes fatal disease to people such as salmonella and streptococcus pyogenes.

#3 FEATHERWING BETTLE

They are the smallest free-living insects know as non-parasitoids bettle insects. They named feathering bettle because of their feather-like spring wings. The species was first discovered in 1999 in Columbia, a site Nicaraguan by Wesley Eugene Hall.

Scientific Classification:-

Order-Coleoptera

Family -Asilidae

Genus-Scydosella

Species-musawasensis

Binomial Nomenclature -Scydosella musawasensis

Features:-

Several specimen species are present with different size variations the smallest individual is 0.325 mm long, the largest one is 0.352 mm long, and the average one length is 0.338 mm. 

Their shape of the body is an elongated oval.

The common color is yellowish-brown they have.

Their antennae are present which can split into ten segments.

They feed on a layer of fungus when they first discovered it.

#4 WESTERN PYGMY BLUE

Found in ranging from Central California to Southern Nevada and Central New Mexico.

Their habitat can be found in alkaline areas such as deserts, salt marshes, and barrier fields.

Scientific Classification:-

Order-Lepidoptera

Family-Lycaenidae

Genus-Brephidium

Species-B.exilis

Binomial Nomenclature -Brephidium exilis

Features:-

The western pygmy blue is 2 inches in length and weight is 10 gram.

The base of both wings is a dull blue color with copper brown from the upper surface.

The base of the hindwing is white with three small black spots and a row of black spots at the outer margin.

The wingspan is 12 to 20 mm.

#5 SCARAB BETTLE

Their Aphodiinae members are commonly known as the small dung battle. This better is found in almost every continent except Antarctica.

Due to their vast range population, their habitat is also diverse including the Patagonian steppe, Andean grassland, temperate rainforest, subantarctic beech forest, and coastal dunes.

Scientific Classification:-

Order-Coleoptera

Family:-Scarabaeidae

Subfamily-Aphodiinae

Features:-

Their body length is less than 8 mm.

The body is oval-shaped and stout with the small mandibles covered by a broadened ceyplus, the exoskeleton plates place above the mouth.

The feet are clawed.

Rather than black they are explored with bright iridescent color species with an intricate pattern.

They have an enormous sense of smell.

Omnivorous invertebrates.

#6 MIDGET MOTH

The very small moth of the Nepticulidae family is spread worldwide distribution. Their diversity is about 22 genera and 862 species.

Scientific Classification:-

Order-Lepidoptera

Superfamily-Nepticuloidea

Family-Nepticulidae

Features:-

The adult moth has a narrow body and lanceolate is very simple like metallic marking and venation.

Their wingspan is very small about 3 mm.

They eat almost anything including fungi, wood, and underwater weeds.

#7 FAIRYFLY

They are from the Mymaridae family commonly known as fairy wasps or fairyflies they are not flies but chalcid wraps. They are found in temperate and tropical regions throughout the world. In the Southern Hemisphere(South American, New Zealand, and Australia), North America(Nearctic).

They're inhabited in all terrestrial habitat and aquatic also.

The family contains around 100 genera and 1400 species.

Scientific Classification:-

Order-Hymenoptera

Superfamily-Chalcidoidea

Family -Mymaridae

Features:-

Their body length is from 0.13 to 5.4 mm or 0.0051 to 0.2126 in.

They usually have an invisible apparent with black, brown, or yellow bodies and nonmetallic.

They have an H-shaped pattern of sutures known as trabeculae or carinal.

The antennae are tipped with clava i.e club- like a segment in the female.

A filiform antenna i.e thread-like in males.

Economically play a vital role in using the biological pest control of various crop pests, the examples-Anagrus potables, Gonatocerus ashmeadi, Anaphes intend, etc.

#8 MADAGASCAR SUNSET MOTH

The sunset moth was first described in 1773 by Dur Dury. It was originally thought that moths' native habitat was in Bengal or China but was later found to be endemic or the island of Madagascar.

Scientific Classification:-

Order-Lepidoptera

Family -Uraniidae

Genus-Chrysiridia

Species-C.rhipheus

Binomial Nomenclature -Chrysiridia rhipheus

Features:-

The body is black with colorful iridescent marking.

There is a fringe of white scales on the wing edges, with broader hindwing and six tails are grown on wings.

The wings of a sunset moth shown optical phenomena by the scales i.e contain cuticle layers on it when the coherent light is reflected on the surface of the wings.

Their wingspan of 7-9 cm or 2.5 - 3.5 in.

The caterpillar posses a chemical impediment as a primary defense which comes from the Omphalca species host plant.