Fairyfly
Guides
Alaptus
Alaptus is a genus of minute egg parasitoid wasps in the family Mymaridae, commonly known as fairyflies. The genus contains approximately 17 described species in the Holarctic region, with several new species described from North America and Russia in recent taxonomic revisions. These wasps are specialized parasitoids of psocid eggs (barklice), with some species also associated with scale insects and other small arthropod eggs. Alaptus species are among the smallest insects, with body lengths typically under 1 mm.
Alaptus eriococci
Fairyfly
Alaptus eriococci Girault, 1908 is a species of fairyfly in the family Mymaridae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). The species was described by Girault in 1908 and a lectotype was designated by Triapitsyn in 2017 during a comprehensive revision of the Holarctic Alaptus fauna. Like other members of this genus, it is an egg parasitoid, though specific host records for this species remain limited in the available literature. The species name "eriococci" suggests an association with scale insects in the family Eriococcidae.
Anagrus
fairyflies
Anagrus is a genus of fairyflies (Mymaridae) comprising over 90 described species, many of which are important biological control agents of agricultural pests. Adults are minute parasitoids, typically 1-2 mm in length, with coloration ranging from brown and orange to black and pale. The genus is divided into three subgenera—Anagrella, Anagrus, and Paranagrus—for taxonomic purposes. Species in this genus are specialized egg parasitoids, primarily attacking Hemiptera (leafhoppers and planthoppers), with some species also recorded from Odonata eggs. Their role in regulating populations of economically significant pests like the brown planthopper and glassy-winged sharpshooter has made them valuable in integrated pest management programs worldwide.
Anaphes
fairyflies
Anaphes is a genus of fairyflies (family Mymaridae), among the smallest known insects, first described by Alexander Henry Haliday in 1833. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution and is divided into two subgenera: Anaphes (Anaphes) with approximately 37 recognized species and Anaphes (Patasson) with approximately 56 species in the Palearctic region alone. Species are egg parasitoids of various insects, with documented hosts including weevils (Curculionidae), leafhoppers (Cicadellidae), and true bugs (Miridae). Several species have been studied for biological control of agricultural pests, particularly the carrot weevil (Listronotus oregonensis) and lygus bugs (Lygus spp.).
Cleruchus
Cleruchus is a genus of fairyflies (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) containing minute egg parasitoids. Species in this genus exhibit notable wing dimorphism, with both macropterous and brachypterous individuals occurring within single species. They are associated with bracket fungi and parasitize eggs of beetles, particularly Ciidae. The genus is distributed across the Palaearctic region with records from Europe, Russia, and North America.
Cosmocomoidea
Cosmocomoidea is a genus of fairyflies (Mymaridae) established by Howard in 1908. Species within this genus are solitary egg parasitoids primarily associated with sharpshooter leafhoppers (Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae), which are vectors of plant pathogens including Xylella fastidiosa. The genus has been documented from Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan, India), Europe (Denmark, Sweden), and South America, with C. annulicornis being the most extensively studied species due to its potential as a biological control agent.
Cosmocomoidea ashmeadi
Cosmocomoidea ashmeadi is a species of fairyfly in the family Mymaridae, described by Girault in 1915. The genus Cosmocomoidea was established to accommodate species previously placed in other mymarid genera. Members of this genus are egg parasitoids, typically attacking eggs of Hemiptera. The species is part of a group of minute wasps that are important biological control agents in various agricultural systems.
Cosmocomoidea morrilli
Cosmocomoidea morrilli is a species of fairyfly wasp in the family Mymaridae, originally described by Howard in 1908. The species has undergone taxonomic revision, having been previously classified under the genus Gonatocerus. Like other members of Mymaridae, it is an egg parasitoid, though specific host associations for this species remain incompletely documented. The genus Cosmocomoidea was established to accommodate species formerly placed in Gonatocerus that share distinct morphological characteristics.
Dicopomorpha
fairyfly
Dicopomorpha is a genus of fairyflies in the family Mymaridae, established by Ogloblin in 1955. The genus includes ten described species and is notable for containing some of the smallest known adult insects. The wingless male of Dicopomorpha echmepterygis holds the record as the smallest known adult insect at only 130 μm in length. Like other mymarids, these wasps are egg parasitoids, though specific host associations remain largely unknown due to their minute size and cryptic biology.
Dicopomorpha echmepterygis
Dicopomorpha echmepterygis is the smallest known adult insect, with wingless males averaging 186 μm in body length (range 139–240 μm). This mymarid parasitoid wasp exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism: males are blind, apterous, and possess relatively long legs, while females are fully winged with functional compound eyes and black bodies. The species is an idiobiont parasitoid of eggs of the lepidopsocid barklouse Echmepteryx hageni. Males complete their entire life cycle within the host egg, mating with sisters and dying without ever emerging.
Gonatocerus
fairyfly
Gonatocerus is a speciose genus of fairyflies (Mymaridae) comprising at least 260 described species. These minute parasitoid wasps are primary egg parasitoids of leafhoppers and sharpshooters (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), with several species extensively studied for biological control of agricultural pests, particularly the glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis). The genus is divided into five subgenera: Gonatocerus (nominate), Lymaenon, Cosmocomoidea, Gastrogonatocerus, and Gahanopsis, with species distributed across all major biogeographic regions.
Gonatocerus rivalis
Gonatocerus rivalis is a species of fairyfly in the family Mymaridae, described by Girault in 1911. The species is known from limited distribution records in North America and Venezuela. As a member of the genus Gonatocerus, it is presumed to be an egg parasitoid, though specific host associations for this species have not been documented. The species is among the smaller members of the family, which are among the smallest insects known.
Litus
Litus is a genus of fairyflies (Mymaridae), a family of minute parasitoid wasps. The genus was established by Haliday in 1833. Species in this genus are egg parasitoids, though specific host associations remain poorly documented for most taxa. A review by Triapitsyn and Berezovskiy in 2004 examined the genus across the Holarctic and Oriental regions.
Litus camptopterus
Litus camptopterus is a species of fairyfly wasp in the family Mymaridae, described by Novicky in 1953. It belongs to a genus characterized by reduced wing venation and small body size typical of this chalcidoid family. The species has been recorded from multiple regions including western North America and the Russian Far East. Like other mymarids, it is presumed to be an egg parasitoid, though specific host associations for this species remain poorly documented.
Lymaenon
Lymaenon is a genus of fairyflies (Mymaridae), among the smallest known insects. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution and contains at least three described species: L. hoplites, L. spinozai, and L. vladimiri. Members of this genus are egg parasitoids, though specific host associations remain poorly documented compared to better-studied mymarid genera.
Mymar taprobanicum
Mymar taprobanicum is a species of fairyfly in the family Mymaridae, described by Ward in 1875 from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). The genus Mymar is one of the oldest-established genera in Mymaridae and serves as the type genus for the family. Mymar taprobanicum represents one of approximately 100 species currently recognized in this genus, though species-level taxonomy within Mymar remains challenging due to the minute size of these wasps and subtle morphological differences.
Mymaridae
Fairy Wasps, Fairyflies
Mymaridae, commonly known as fairy wasps or fairyflies, is a family of microscopic chalcidoid wasps containing approximately 100 genera and 1,400 described species distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. Members are among the smallest known insects, with body lengths ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 mm; the smallest species, Dicopomorpha echmepterygis, measures only 0.139 mm and is the smallest known insect. All known species are solitary, idiobiont endoparasitoids of insect eggs, with hosts primarily in Hemiptera (especially leafhoppers, planthoppers, and true bugs), Coleoptera, and Psocodea. The family is economically significant as biological control agents for agricultural pests, particularly for leafhoppers that vector plant diseases.
Neomymar
Neomymar is a genus of fairyflies (Mymaridae), among the smallest known insects. The genus was established by Crawford in 1913. Species within this genus are egg parasitoids, though specific host associations remain poorly documented compared to related genera such as Anagrus and Gonatocerus. The Nearctic species were revised by Triapitsyn, Berezovskiy and Huber in 2006, with three species described: N. komar, N. korsar, and N. zuparkoi. These species are known from California and Mexico.
Polynema
fairyflies, fairy wasps
Polynema is a genus of fairyflies in the family Mymaridae, comprising approximately 270 described species. These are among the smallest known insects, with adults typically measuring less than 1 mm. The genus is taxonomically challenging, currently treated as a conglomerate of poorly defined related groups classified into subgenera including P. (Polynema), P. (Doriclytus), and P. (Dorypolynema). Members are idiobiont endoparasitoids of insect eggs, attacking hosts across multiple orders including Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, Psocoptera, and Odonata. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution with significant diversity in the Neotropical, Palaearctic, and Oriental regions.