Fairyfly
Fairyfly
Invertebrate
The fairyfly is the smallest insect in the world: a tiny wasp so minute it could flutter through the eye of a needle.
💡 Fun Facts
- The smallest known insect in the world.
- They are actually microscopic wasps.
- Some are so small they could easily fly through the eye of a needle.
Name Story
Mymaridae (type genus Mymar)
means “The fairy-tiny wasp”
likely meaningThe 'fairy' name and the record-breaking tininess are certain, but the meaning of the scientific name Mymar was never explained and remains a puzzle.
What does its name mean?
- Mymar — meaning uncertain — perhaps 'something shy or hidden', but no one is sureGreek (disputed)
- -idae — the family ofthe standard ending for an animal family
These are among the very smallest insects alive — some far tinier than the full stop at the end of this sentence, with delicate, feather-like wings — so people called them 'fairies'. (And despite the name, a fairyfly is really a wasp, not a fly.)