Sycophaga
Genus of wasps
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sycophaga is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section Sycomorus of the monoecious[1] fig subgenus, Sycomorus,[2] and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with Ceratosolen wasps.[3]
| Sycophaga | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sycophaga sp., adult females on F. sur | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Pteromalidae |
| Subfamily: | Sycophaginae |
| Genus: | Sycophaga Westwood, 1840 |
| Type species | |
| Sycophaga sycomori (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
They enter the fig during the receptive phase of development, and oviposit inside the short-style flowers. This induces the growth of endosperm tissue and the enlargement and ripening of the syconium which holds the wasp-bearing drupelets, without pollination taking place.[4]
The genus can be characterized by having a long ovipositor, non-metallic coloration, a square mesoscutellum, and a long propodeum.[5]
Species
The described species include:[2]
- Sycophaga afflicta Grandi, 1916
- Sycophaga callani Grandi, 1955
- Sycophaga cyclostigma Waterston, 1916
- Sycophaga depressa Risbec, 1956
- Sycophaga gigantea Grandi, 1916
- Sycophaga gigas Mayr, 1906
- Sycophaga insularis Grandi, 1916
- Sycophaga silvestrii Grandi, 1916
- Sycophaga sycomori Linnaeus, 1758
- Sycophaga tenebrosa Grandi, 1917
- Sycophaga valentinae Grandi, 1952
- Sycophaga vicina Mayr, 1906
- Sycophaga viduata Grandi, 1916
