Science knows more than three million insects. There are different ones among them. The meager size and morphology of some are amazing! These are micrometers of organisms capable of giving up everything except the main thing - sexual desire. Nature is unique. It turns out you can not eat, not drink, and not even go beyond the intended space! The main thing is to wait for that one female who finds you to continue her lineage, even if life lasts only a few days.
From larger to smaller
For the first time in Russian sources, an insect, as a word, is found in 1731. It literally means "notched animal". In 1758, the scientific name for this class was introduced. But even among these small representatives of the terrestrial fauna there are the smallest ones that surprise us with theirsizes. And we see them mainly in photographs.
It has long been believed that the smallest insects live in the forests of the eastern United States. Their name is Nanosella fungi. These are beetles. When scientists entomologists found out that the measurements were not entirely accurate, the smallest insect at that time took its place of honor at number two, among the beetles. But even so, the dimensions of 0.39 mm are such that they allow bugs to live in polypore fungi where spores are located.
In 1999, science learned about Scydosella musawasensis. This microscopic beetle was recognized in 2015 as the smallest insect among the Coleoptera species. The average length of such an individual is 0.337 mm, and the largest bug has grown to 0.352 mm. The exact dimensions were determined by the Russian coleopterist Alexei Polilov. This beetle also lives in polypore fungi where tubular layers are located. It received its specific name from the first place of its discovery. It was Nicaragua.
Megaphragma mymaripenne
This is a small parasitic ichneumon with such small sizes that completely determine its way of life and the structure of the whole organism. His brain is completely devoid of chromosomes, and life lasts only five days. This species of riders does not grow more than 0.2 mm, and 95% of its nerve cells are devoid of a cell nucleus. It is smaller than an infusoria-shoe. Distributed in almost all parts of the world, except for Antarctica and Asia.
Science does not stand still
At the end of the 20th century (90s), a species of tiny insects called Megaphragma caribea (family Trichogrammatidae) was discovered. Its dimensions do not exceed 0.171 mm. The habitat is the small islands of Guadeloupe, which are located in the Caribbean Sea. One could argue that this is the smallest insect, if not for another species, accidentally discovered in 1997.
Among parasitic ichneumons, Mymaridae took the lead. They parasitize beetles, bedbugs and some aquatic insects. Most of them live in Europe. There are over 500 species of miramids, some of which have been successfully used by scientists for biological pest control.
Here it is - the smallest parasite
And so, during the observation of Echmepteryx hageni (USA), they found the smallest insect - this is Dicopomorpha echmepterygis. Then we saw females of small riders. Several hay-eater eggs were opened and a fully formed female and three smallest individuals of the same species (males) were found.
It turns out that the world's smallest insect (Dicopomorpha echmepterygis) is a host-killing (idiobiotic) egg parasite of hay-eaters. The remaining eggs contained one female and one male.
Using a scanning electron microscope, it was possible to determine the size of the male parasitic wasp, whose length was only 0.139 mm. It all belongs to the same family Mymaridae (egg-eating riders). This species has larvaedevelop in insect eggs, and its representatives are distributed throughout the world. So it became known to the whole scientific world, what is the smallest insect, its size and habitat.
Characteristics, features and reproduction
It turned out that female riders are almost twice as large as males. They differ in proportions, the number of visible abdominal sclerites, antenna segments, and leg structure. In addition, females have feathery wings. They have compound eyes, single lenses that react to light levels, and multi-segmented antennae of sufficient length.
Interestingly, the smallest insect on earth (the rider Dicopomorpha echmepterygis) has pronounced sexual dimorphism. Males do not have eyes, mouthparts or wings. Its antennae are one segment with a single sensilla and two more on the head capsule. The segments of the tarsi are fused with the lower leg, and the suckers replace the claws. Most likely, males are not able to move outside the egg.
The owner of the smallest insects is the hay eater Echmepteryx hageni. It lives in the trees of eastern North America and lays its eggs in small crevices in the bark. It turns out that female parasites need wings to move from one tree to another.
Most likely, the size and morphology of males make it easier to find a sexual partner. They come from the same egg and the female can easily meet her male. Thus, these individuals represent a unique example of miniaturization. The smallest rider does not eat, notflies, does not drink, does not see. Deprived of almost everything, he waits for the only thing - his female, in order to complete the task of reproduction.
It is also known that Alaptus magnatimus, from the same family Mymaridae, has a male body length of only 0.12 mm.
Interestingly, the larva of the rider easily feeds on the contents of the bug egg. It also pupates inside the egg shell and 15 days after infection, the larva will give an adult winged egg-eating rider.
Visualization for little ones
Today, many children are fond of biology and similar sciences. They are interested in knowing not only about the macrocosm, but also want to look into the microcosm. It is far from always possible to use an electron microscope and see the smallest parasites. If it is interesting, then you can find coloring pages for the little ones. Insects of the smallest species are presented in encyclopedias of biology, entomology.
There are enough images on the Internet. Therefore, if it becomes necessary to show children the smallest inhabitants of our amazing planet, there is always the opportunity to find appropriate sources for visualizing the story.
Perhaps soon scientists will discover a new species of insects that will surpass their minimum size known to us today. These will be new great discoveries that never cease to amaze us.
