Family Agaonidae - Fig wasps

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Numbers · Identification · Range · Food · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited

Fig wasp - Pleistodontes imperialis - female

Pleistodontes? Not sure what species.. - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)

No Taxon ("Parasitica" - Parasitoid Wasps)

Superfamily Chalcidoidea (Chalcidoid Wasps)

Family Agaonidae (Fig wasps)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

probably polyphyletic group; Sycoecninae, Otitesellinae and Sycoryctinae may actually belong in the Pteromalidae(1); Sycophaginae have been transferred to Agaonidae from Torymidae(2)

Numbers

13 spp. (mostly adventive/introduced) in 8 genera of 4 subfamilies in our area, >750 spp. in ~80 genera of 6 subfamilies worldwide(1)

Identification

Key to genera in (3) (chapter 4)

Range

in our area, US only (none in Canada)(1)

Food

Figs

Remarks

Symbiotic with fig trees. Each species of Ficus has one or perhaps two species of wasp pollinators that lay their eggs inside the syconium. Sycoecinae, Sycophaginae and Otitesellinae may be gall formers in the non-reproductive parts of the fig or parasitoids of gall-formers.

Internet References

figweb (An extremely informative and comprehensive site covering this family; view videos)

Gall flowers in figs

Fig Wasps (article by Beatriz Moisset)

Works Cited

1.	Universal Chalcidoidea Database

2.	A phylogenetic analysis of the megadiverse Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) Heraty J.M., Burks R.A., Cruaud A., Gibson G.A.P., Liljeblad J., Munro J., Rasplus J.-Y., Delvare G., Janšta P., Gumovsky A.... 2013. Cladistics 29: 466–542.

3.	Annotated Keys to the Genera of Nearctic Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) Gary A. Gibson, James B. Woolley, John T. Huber. 1997. Canadian Government Publishing.

Contributed by Beatriz Moisset on 11 February, 2007 - 10:15am
Additional contributions by Bbarnd, v belov, Harsi S. Parker, KenW
Last updated 26 June, 2019 - 5:30pm

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