Zorapteran of Kuala Lumpur vs Featherwing Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Zorapteran of Kuala Lumpur Featherwing Beetle
Scientific Name Zorotypus magnicaudelli Scydosella musawasensis
Order Zoraptera Coleoptera
Family Zorotypidae Ptiliidae
Size 2-3 mm 0.325 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions Southeast Asia, Malaysia Central America
Conservation Data Deficient Least Concern

Zorapteran of Kuala Lumpur

A Southeast Asian zorapteran found in rotting tropical timber. Like all angel insects, it lives in small gregarious colonies and exhibits wing dimorphism.

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Did You Know?

Most zorapteran species are known from only a handful of specimens, making them among the rarest insects in collections.

Featherwing Beetle

The smallest known free-living (non-parasitic) insect at just 0.325 mm long. Discovered in Nicaragua in 1999, it feeds on spores of basidiomycete fungi in rotting wood.

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Did You Know?

At 0.325 mm, this beetle is about the width of the period at the end of this sentence — yet it is a fully functional adult insect with complete organ systems.