Miniature
Guides
Brephidium exilis
Western Pygmy Blue, Pygmy Blue
Brephidium exilis, commonly known as the Western Pygmy Blue, is the smallest butterfly species in North America. Despite its diminutive size, it is widespread and relatively common across its range, though often overlooked due to its minute stature. The species belongs to the family Lycaenidae (gossamer-winged butterflies) and is recognized as a synonym of Brephidium exile.
Myxophaga
Minute Bog and Skiff Beetles
Myxophaga is a small suborder of Coleoptera comprising approximately 65 described species across four extant families: Lepiceridae, Hydroscaphidae, Sphaeriusidae, and Torridincolidae. These beetles are among the smallest in the order, ranging from small to minute in size. All members are aquatic or semiaquatic, with many species inhabiting hygropetric environments—thin water films on rock surfaces in running water. The suborder is characterized by distinctive morphological features including clubbed antennae with fewer than nine segments, open mesocoxal cavities, and apically rolled hind wings in resting position.