Selasa, 03 Juli 2012

World's tiniest fly is smaller than a grain of salt

World's tiniest fly is smaller than a grain of salt

  • Fly is 15 times smaller than a house fly and five times smaller than fruit fly
  • Larvae live inside ants' heads until decapitation
  • Gruesome parasite found in Thailand is smaller than grain of salt

By Rob Waugh

PUBLISHED: 08:01 EST, 3 July 2012 | UPDATED: 08:01 EST, 3 July 2012

The world's smallest fly is a gruesome parasite that lives inside the heads of ants, growing in size until the victim is decapitated.

The fly, found in Thailand, is just 0.4mm long - the same size or smaller than a grain of salt.

The adult flies lay eggs inside ants' bodies, then the larvae grow to maturity inside their victims' heads, until they finally fall off.

Small but deadly: The fly is a member of a family of parasitic insects that grow to maturity inside the heads of ants

Small but deadly: The fly is a member of a family of parasitic insects that grow to maturity inside the heads of ants

The discovery has shown that even the tiniest insects can be prey to parasites. The flies can decapitate victims with heads as small as 0.5mm.

At just 0.40 millimeters in length, it is 15 times smaller than a house fly and five times smaller than a fruit fly.

Dr. Brian Brown of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, these flies can probably decapitate some of the smallest ants in the world, ones with heads as small as 0.5 millimeters.

'It had always been assumed that smaller species of ants would be free from attack because it would be physically impossible for flies that are 1-3 millimeters in length to develop in their relatively tiny heads,' he said.

'However, here we show that even the smallest host ants in a host-parasitoid system cannot escape.'


At just 0.40 millimeters in length, it is 15 times smaller than a house fly and five times smaller than a fruit fly

At just 0.40 millimeters in length, it is 15 times smaller than a house fly (pictured) and five times smaller than a fruit fly


The tiny fly, Euryplatea nanaknihali, is also the first of its genus to be discovered in Asia, and it belongs to a fly family (Phoridae) that is known for "decapitating" ants.

Some species in the Phoridae fly family lay eggs in the bodies of ants, and the resulting larvae feed in the ants' heads, eventually causing decapitation. In fact, some of these phorid flies are being used to try to control fire ants in the southern United Sates.

Although this has not yet been observed, it is highly likely because the fly's only known relative, Euryplatea eidmanni, is known to parasitize ants in Equatorial Guinea.


Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

  • Newest
  • Oldest
  • Best rated
  • Worst rated

Are you scratching your head too !!

Report abuse

Can't be sure about spelling in articles nowadays. Just to be safe I'd better warn my aunt about these.

Report abuse

"Banker Fly"?....in the U.S. they are called "Socialist Flies"

Report abuse

and many thousands of insect speices do this nothing new

Report abuse

OK... so can our Creationist friends explain why their loving, compassionate God created this little chap?

Report abuse

Your second grammar lesson of the day: "but injects larvae into an ants head that eat it from the inside out". That should be 'into an ant's head'. 'Ants' would be the plural form of the noun, which means you could not have the indefinite article in front of it as it only goes with singular nouns. As the head belongs to the ant, you have to use the possessive apostrophe.

Report abuse

Sounds like a potential candidate for the vacant job as CEO of Barclays.

Report abuse

Parasite that lives inside your head and SUCKS you dry !......Is it called the ........BANKER fly ????

Report abuse

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Diposting oleh di

Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar

Langganan: Posting Komentar (Atom)