Digital DeconstructionNewly discovered fly is world’s tiniest, decapitates ants and lives in head casing
Size of world’s tiniest fly compared to that of a house fly – Credit: Inna-Marie Strazhnik
A new fly discovered in Thailand is the world’s smallest.
Fifteen times smaller than a house fly and five times smaller than a fruit fly, scientists believe it feeds on tiny ants, decapitating them and using their head casings as its home.
Chelsea Whyte, writing for International Science Times:
The new species of phorid fly discovered in Thailand is 15 times smaller than a house fly and five times smaller than a fruit fly. But despite its size, it still has some gruesome habits. It feeds on tiny ants, decapitating them and living in the severed head.
It has smoky gray wings and the female they discovered has an egg-depositing organ that is pointed to make it easy to lay eggs inside another insect, as a parasitic fly would. Phorid flies use the body of ants as a nest for eggs while they feast on the relatively huge muscles ants have in their heads that control their jaws. They eventually devour the ant’s brain as well, causing it to wander aimlessly for two weeks.
Time to outfit the tiny ant victims of the fly with the world’s smallest fly swatter.
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