''Sycophaga'' is a mainly

Afrotropical The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...

gall wasp Gall wasps, also incorrectly called gallflies, are hymenopterans of the family Cynipidae in the wasp superfamily Cynipoidea. Their common name comes from the galls they induce on plants for larval development. About 1,300 species of this generall ...

genus of the superfamily

Chalcidoidea Chalcid wasps (, , for their metallic colour) are insects within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, part of the order Hymenoptera. The superfamily contains some 22,500 known species, and an estimated total diversity of more than 500,000 species, me ...

that live on the

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sign ...

''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with ''

Ceratosolen ''Ceratosolen'' is an Old World wasp genus in the family Agaonidae (fig wasps). They are pollinators of the monoecious fig subsections ''Sycomorus'' and ''Sycocarpus'', and the section ''Neomorphe'', all belonging to the subgenus ''Sycomorus''. ...

'' wasps. 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 Syconium (plural ''syconia'') is the type of inflorescence borne by figs (genus ''Ficus''), formed by an enlarged, fleshy, hollow receptacle with multiple ovaries on the inside surface. In essence, it is really a fleshy stem with a number of flow ...

which holds the wasp-bearing drupelets, without

pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds ...

taking place.

Species

The described species include: * ''

Sycophaga afflicta ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical realm, Afrotropical gall wasp genus of the superfamily Chalcidoidea that live on the Section (botany), section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious Ficus, fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp ...

'' Grandi, 1916 * ''

Sycophaga callani ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical gall wasp genus of the superfamily Chalcidoidea that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with ''Cerat ...

'' 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 ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical gall wasp genus of the superfamily Chalcidoidea that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with ''Ce ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758 * '' Sycophaga tenebrosa'' Grandi, 1917 * ''

Sycophaga valentinae ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical gall wasp genus of the superfamily Chalcidoidea that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with ''Cerat ...

'' Grandi, 1952 * ''

Sycophaga vicina ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical gall wasp genus of the superfamily Chalcidoidea that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with ''Cerat ...

'' Mayr, 1906 * ''

Sycophaga viduata ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical gall wasp genus of the superfamily Chalcidoidea that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with ''Ce ...

'' Grandi, 1916

References

External links

Hymenoptera genera Agaonidae {{Chalcidoidea-stub