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The Wild Pest
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Tiny bugs

Every species in the Wild Files corpus where tiny is a defining trait.

30 on file

On File
A male peacock spider (Maratus volans) displaying its iridescent abdominal fan.
Curious
Six Legs72
Alias
Maratus volans

Peacock Spider

Tiny dancing spider. Iridescent fan. Has its own choreography.

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On File
A Pseudacteon obtusus fly, tiny dark phorid fly with distinctive hump-backed thorax and prominent eyes, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs89
Alias
Pseudacteon obtusus

Ant-Decapitating Fly

Tiny parasitoid fly. Larva DECAPITATES fire ants by consuming brain and pupating in detached ant HEAD.

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On File
A citrus leaf with characteristic serpentine silver mine trails left by Phyllocnistis citrella larvae winding through the leaf tissue, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs82
Alias
Phyllocnistis citrella

Citrus Leafminer

Larvae develop INSIDE citrus leaves. Diagnostic SERPENTINE silver mine trails visible in leaves.

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On File
A male calico pennant dragonfly (Celithemis elisa), small dragonfly with intricate amber-brown-and-clear wing patterns and bright red abdominal spots, four wings spread, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs74
Alias
Celithemis elisa

Calico Pennant

Small NA dragonfly with intricate STAINED-GLASS WING PATTERNS. Perches on twigs like a tiny flag or pennant.

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On File
A Trichogramma wasp (Trichogramma pretiosum), tiny yellow-orange parasitoid wasp with large red compound eyes and short clubbed antennae, smaller than a grain of sand, top view.
Beneficial
Six Legs82
Alias
Trichogramma pretiosum

Trichogramma Wasp

TINY parasitoid wasp (0.3 mm). BILLIONS commercially mass-reared per year for agricultural pest control.

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On File
A bowl and doily weaver spider (Frontinella communis), small dark brown spider with white markings along the abdomen sides hanging upside-down in a bowl-shaped silk web, eight legs, top view.
Beneficial
Six Legs75
Alias
Frontinella communis

Bowl and Doily Weaver

Constructs unique BOWL-AND-DOILY WEB ARCHITECTURE. Spider hangs upside-down between the two structures.

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On File
A male eastern amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis tenera), tiny dragonfly with brilliant tinted amber wings, four wings spread, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs74
Alias
Perithemis tenera

Eastern Amberwing

Smallest NA dragonfly. Bright AMBER WINGS. WASP-MIMIC — pumps abdomen up and down like a wasp.

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On File
A dark-winged fungus gnat (Bradysia coprophila), small dark gray-black fly with Y-shaped wing venation and long thin legs, magnified scientific specimen.
Outlaw
Six Legs72
Alias
Bradysia coprophila

Dark-Winged Fungus Gnat

The houseplant pest. NZ cousin glows in caves to attract prey. Major greenhouse vector.

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On File
A cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne), small oval brown beetle with serrated antennae and short legs, magnified specimen on cream backdrop.
Outlaw
Six Legs74
Alias
Lasioderma serricorne

Cigarette Beetle

Eats tobacco, spices, dried herbs, museum specimens. Yeast endosymbiont detoxifies the nicotine.

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On File
A crab louse (Pthirus pubis), tiny pale tan wide flattened wingless insect with distinctive crab-like body shape and strong claws on the legs, magnified scientific specimen.
Outlaw
Six Legs78
Alias
Pthirus pubis

Crab Louse (Pubic Louse)

Crab-shaped louse. Host-jumped from gorillas to early hominins 3-4 million years ago.

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On File
A two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), tiny pale yellow-green oval mite with eight short legs and two distinctive dark spots on the body, magnified specimen.
Outlaw
Six Legs77
Alias
Tetranychus urticae

Two-Spotted Spider Mite

0.5 mm. Damages 1,100+ plant species. Genome reveals extreme detox-gene arsenal — resistant to almost every miticide.

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On File
A firebrat (Thermobia domestica), elongated silver-and-tan-mottled body tapering to three tail filaments, with long antennae.
Curious
Six Legs74
Alias
Thermobia domestica

Firebrat

Silverfish's heat-loving cousin. Lives behind ovens at 40°C. 400 million years old.

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On File
A khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium), small oval brown beetle with mottled body pattern and short antennae, magnified specimen on cream backdrop.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs87
Alias
Trogoderma granarium

Khapra Beetle

Most-feared stored grain pest. Larvae survive YEARS without food. One specimen triggers container fumigation.

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On File
A yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella), small white moth with brown antennae, six legs, perched on a yucca flower stamen.
Beneficial
Six Legs82
Alias
Tegeticula yuccasella

Yucca Moth

Sole pollinator of yucca. Actively packs pollen into the flower like a tiny farmer. Obligate mutualism.

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On File
A fairyfly (Dicopomorpha echmepterygis), microscopic specimen photo of a tiny pale wasp with feathered wings, magnified.
Curious
Six Legs86
Alias
Dicopomorpha echmepterygis

Fairyfly

Smallest insect on Earth. 0.139 mm. Smaller than a single Paramecium. Fully functional brain.

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On File
A head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis), tiny pale gray-brown wingless insect with six legs and short antennae, magnified specimen on cream backdrop.
Outlaw
Six Legs79
Alias
Pediculus humanus capitis

Head Louse

Lives ONLY on human heads. Her cousin the body louse dated the invention of clothing.

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On File
A book scorpion (Chelifer cancroides), tiny brown arachnid resembling a miniature scorpion with prominent pincer pedipalps but no tail.
Beneficial
Six Legs82
Alias
Chelifer cancroides

Book Scorpion (Pseudoscorpion)

Tiny scorpion-cousin in your bookshelf. Eats booklice and dust mites. Hitchhikes on flies.

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On File
A sand fly (Phlebotomus papatasi), tiny hairy brownish fly with V-shaped wings held above the body and long thin legs.
Outlaw
Six Legs75
Alias
Phlebotomus papatasi

Sand Fly

Tiny enough to slip through mosquito netting. Vector of leishmaniasis. Affects 12 million people.

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On File
A snow flea (Hypogastrura nivicola), tiny dark blue-black springtail with elongated body, six legs, on a white snow surface.
Curious
Six Legs80
Alias
Hypogastrura nivicola

Snow Flea

Tiny springtail active on snow. Antifreeze protein keeps her alive at -20°C. Used in medical cryopreservation.

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On File
A pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), small pale green pear-shaped body with long thin antennae and legs, on a green stem.
Outlaw
Six Legs85
Alias
Acyrthosiphon pisum

Pea Aphid

Female gives live birth to clones already pregnant with their own clones. Photosynthesizes. Trillions of her.

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On File
An ant-mimicking spider (Myrmarachne formicaria), elongated body resembling an ant with first pair of legs raised in antenna position.
Curious
Six Legs81
Alias
Myrmarachne formicaria

Ant-Mimicking Spider

Spider that walks, smells, and waves antennae like an ant. Some species hunt the ants she mimics.

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On File
A fig wasp (Blastophaga psenes), tiny black wasp on a fig fruit, magnified specimen on cream backdrop.
Curious
Six Legs85
Alias
Blastophaga psenes

Fig Wasp

Each fig species has ONE specific wasp. She enters, loses her wings, lays eggs, dies inside. 80 million years.

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On File
A Portia jumping spider (Portia fimbriata), small mottled brown body with leg tufts and large forward-facing principal eyes.
Curious
Six Legs82
Alias
Portia fimbriata

Portia Spider

Smartest invertebrate on Earth. Hunts spiders using deception, detours, and multi-step planning.

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On File
A booklouse (Liposcelis bostrychophila), tiny pale tan flat-bodied insect with long antennae, magnified specimen on cream backdrop.
Curious
Six Legs73
Alias
Liposcelis bostrychophila

Booklouse (Psocid)

1 mm. Eats the mold on your books. All female. Cosmopolitan museum and library pest.

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On File
A chigger larva (Trombicula alfreddugesi), tiny bright orange-red rounded body with six short legs.
Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Trombicula alfreddugesi

Chigger (Harvest Mite)

Larva liquefies your skin and drinks it through a tube. The 'burrow into the skin' myth is false.

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On File
A tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva), small reddish-brown body with disproportionately long legs and antennae.
Outlaw
Six Legs84
Alias
Nylanderia fulva

Tawny Crazy Ant

Neutralizes fire ant venom. Displaces fire ants. Shorts out electrical gear by sheer mass.

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On File
A scanning-electron-style illustration of a house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus), pale rounded body with eight stubby legs and visible chelicerae.
Outlaw
Six Legs77
Alias
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus

House Dust Mite

0.3 mm. 10 million in your mattress. Eats your dead skin. Major asthma trigger worldwide.

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On File
A ghost mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa), small brown mantis with leaf-like head crest, leg paddles, and crumpled-leaf body extensions.
Curious
Six Legs78
Alias
Phyllocrania paradoxa

Ghost Mantis

Mimics a dried leaf so well she disappears in plain sight. Green, brown, gray, ivory phases.

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On File
A pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis) worker, tiny pale yellow ant body with darker brown abdomen tip.
Outlaw
Six Legs75
Alias
Monomorium pharaonis

Pharaoh Ant

2 mm. Invades hospitals. Spray her and she SPLITS the colony. Queens by the dozen.

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On File
A spitting spider (Scytodes thoracica), small pale yellow-and-brown spider with humped cephalothorax and long thin legs.
Curious
Six Legs80
Alias
Scytodes thoracica

Spitting Spider

Spits sticky-and-venomous silk-glue at prey from 1 cm away. Fires in 1.4 milliseconds.

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