Dicopomorpha echmepterygis
Encyclopedia
Dicopomorpha echmepterygis is a parasitic wasp in the family Mymaridae. The males of this species are the smallest of all known insect
s. They are blind and wingless and may be no more than 0.139 mm (139 μm
) in length (smaller than a single-celled paramecium
). Females are 40% larger. Obviously, the eggs and larvae of this wasp are considerably smaller than the adult.
This species from Costa Rica
is an idiobiont parasitoid
of the eggs of a lepidopsocid barklouse, Echmepteryx hageni. The adult males mate with their sisters inside the host egg, and die without ever leaving the egg; similar life histories can be found in the wasp family Trichogrammatidae
, also in the superfamily Chalcidoidea.
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. They are blind and wingless and may be no more than 0.139 mm (139 μm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
) in length (smaller than a single-celled paramecium
Paramecium
Paramecium is a group of unicellular ciliate protozoa, which are commonly studied as a representative of the ciliate group, and range from about 0.05 to 0.35 mm in length. Simple cilia cover the body, which allow the cell to move with a synchronous motion at speeds of approximately 12 body...
). Females are 40% larger. Obviously, the eggs and larvae of this wasp are considerably smaller than the adult.
This species from Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
is an idiobiont parasitoid
Parasitoid
A parasitoid is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life history attached to or within a single host organism in a relationship that is in essence parasitic; unlike a true parasite, however, it ultimately sterilises or kills, and sometimes consumes, the host...
of the eggs of a lepidopsocid barklouse, Echmepteryx hageni. The adult males mate with their sisters inside the host egg, and die without ever leaving the egg; similar life histories can be found in the wasp family Trichogrammatidae
Trichogrammatidae
The family Trichogrammatidae are tiny wasps in the Chalcidoidea that include some of the smallest of all insects, with most species having adults less than 1 mm in length. There are over 840 species in ca. 80 genera worldwide. Trichogrammatids parasitize the eggs of many different orders of insects...
, also in the superfamily Chalcidoidea.