The human eye is unable to see it. It is so small that a 10x magnification lens is required to view it. We are talking about the smallest beetle on earth, the feather wing.
Featherwings are considered the smallest beetles on Earth. This family has 65 genera and more than 400 subspecies, and the North American subspecies, which includes the smallest bugs less than 0.2 mm in length, has not yet been described by science. The feather wing got its name due to the structural features of the wings, intended rather for passive flight, because they have a feathery structure, similar to the cilia of an infusoria. The smallest beetle that has been studied belongs to the genus Nanosella, which lives in the spores of the birch fungus. This representative of perwing, despite its length of about 0.35 mm, has a complex structure of eyes, antennae, developed mouth apparatus, wings and everything that is characteristic of larger beetles.
Habitat
Featherwing live in both temperate and tropical climates. In the United States, 23 genera and 115 subspecies have been found, although many of them have not yet been studied and have not been named. Featherflies are especially widespread in Florida and are interesting from an entomological and evolutionary point of view for their ability to adapt to living conditions at such a tiny size. Their habitat is leaves on the ground, stumps, compost pits, crevices in the bark, manure, mold, seaweed on the ocean shore and other organic materials, on which fungi form, which feed larvae and adults.
Recently, during excavations in Florida, featherwings were found in a prehistoric alligator's nest - a natural compost pit that has been home to beetles for the past several million years.
Life cycle
In favorable conditions, featherwings multiply rapidly; entomologists often find larvae in the same nest with freshly faded beetles and even with adults, regardless of the season. The female is only capable of bearing and laying one egg at a time. In this case, the length of the egg is half of the body of the female. The beetle develops into an adult in a relatively short time - from 32 to 45 days at a temperature of 20 ° C, passing through three larval stages.
Entomologists have discovered the amazing ability of females of some species of featherwing to develop from an unfertilized egg. This phenomenon has a scientific name - telocytic parthenogenesis.
Polymorphism
Polymorphism is characteristic of many species of perwing. Individuals of each sex are presented in two types: usual with well-developed eyes, wings and body pigmentation, and residual, when eyes, wings and body pigmentation are underdeveloped or absent. The residual species is most widespread and is found in 90% or more cases.
