Euryplatea nanaknihali is the world's smallest fly, measuring 0.4 millimetres (0.016in) in size. It is believed to use ants as hosts for its larvae. The species was discovered in Thailand.
Euryplatea nanaknihali is the smallest fly in the order Diptera, measuring 0.4 millimetres (0.016in) in size.[1] Due to its small size, the viscosity of air is problematic for the insect, and even the smallest air currents are a large impediment. Scientists have expressed amazement that such a tiny animal could still have all the organs of a normal insect.[2]
Crematogaster ants may be the host of E. nanaknihali.
They are believed to lay their eggs in the heads of small Crematogasterants. The larva consumes the interior of the ant's head, within whose exoskeleton it pupates, before emerging as an adult.[2][3]
↑ Brown, B.V. 2012: Small size no protection for acrobat ants: world's smallest fly is a parasitic phorid (Diptera: Phoridae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 105(4): 550-554. doi:10.1603/AN12011
