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Ghost Mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa)
Tiny
78Six Legs
Bug Bite · From the file on Ghost Mantis

Despite the dramatic appearance, the ghost mantis is small (4.5-5 cm) and completely harmless to humans.

EncyclopediaEncyclopedia of LifeVerified by sources
Read the full file on Ghost Mantis

More Tiny bites

Peacock Spider (Maratus volans)
Tiny
Six Legs72

Peacock spiders are 4–5 mm long — smaller than a grain of rice — but their courtship choreography is more elaborate than most birds'.

Peacock SpiderVerified by sources
Ant-Decapitating Fly (Pseudacteon obtusus)
Tiny
Six Legs89

TINY (1-2 mm) parasitoid flies with distinctive 'HUMP-BACKED' THORAX (diagnostic for family Phoridae, the 'hump-backed flies'). Despite small size, devastating impact on fire ant populations.

Ant-Decapitating FlyVerified by sources
Citrus Leafminer (Phyllocnistis citrella)
Tiny
Six Legs82

Adults are 4 mm wingspan — EXTREMELY TINY moths rarely noticed by humans. Larvae are 3-4 mm with reduced legs adapted for the leaf-mining lifestyle.

Citrus LeafminerVerified by sources
Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa)
Tiny
Six Legs74

She is one of the SMALLER NA DRAGONFLIES — 2-3 cm body length, 5-6 cm wingspan. Small size makes the intricate wing patterns particularly striking at close range.

Calico PennantVerified by sources
Trichogramma Wasp (Trichogramma pretiosum)
Tiny
Six Legs82

Trichogramma wasps are TINY — 0.3-0.8 mm long, SMALLER THAN A GRAIN OF SAND. Among the smallest Hymenoptera in the world.

Trichogramma WaspVerified by sources
Bowl and Doily Weaver (Frontinella communis)
Tiny
Six Legs75

Females are only 3-4 mm body length — much smaller than the more familiar orb-weaving spiders, but construct one of the most elaborate web architectures in NA spider biology.

Bowl and Doily WeaverVerified by sources