Africa Wild

"Holy FIG WASP, Batman!"

Some pretty interesting, yet highly complex, literature on these wasps and the intricate associations between a particular wasp species and their sole fig tree species has been published. Will probably have to enter a rather general description so that eyes don't glaze over, but your ID certainly opened my eyes to a fascinating interaction/evolution between plant/insect association.

I still don't have the answer to the "crowbar tool" use on the antennae. Point me in the right direction so I can include it in my write-up, please.

"Holy KLIPPIES, Batman!"

The wasps’ entry into the syconia is a fixed sequence of behavioral events. A female wasp arrives at and immediately begins antennating a syconium. The wasp assumes a characteristic pose during this "assessment behavior." The antennae are arched up and the distal portion of the antennae contact the syconium surface perpendicularly, with only the distal antennal segment actually touching the syconium. After assessment the wasp may walk off the syconium and search for other syconia on the same branch, fly away, or begin the next phase of entry.
If the wasp attempts entry, she lowers her antennae, and the distal five or six antennal segments are pressed flat against the syconium surface. The wasp is searching for the ostiole. When she finds the ostiole she loosens the topmost scale with one of the sharp, sclerotized horns on the third antennal segment. If the upper scale is stuck to the tissue layer below, as is often the case on syconia that have not yet been entered, she approaches at an angle, hooks one horn under the scale, and works the scale free by pushing up with her forelegs and head. When the scale is loosened, she is ready to begin entry. The legs are spread laterally from the body, and the ventral surface of the entire body is flattened against the syconium surface. The antennae are forward and also pressed against the syconium; the wings are raised perpendicularly to the thorax and pressed together; and the abdomen is compressed dorsoventrally. The wasp now pushes her antennae and head under the topmost scale of the ostiole. She slowly disappears, and as her thorax passes through the topmost scale her upraised wings detach. When several wasps enter a single syconium, a tuft of wings can be seen at the entrance to the ostiole. As the female passes under the top scale, she contacts and pushes her head under the lip of the second scale, and continues walking the helical ostiole. The antennae distal to the fourth or fifth segment detach during entry. Wasps are not always successful at passing through the ostiole, and are sometimes found dead within the scales of the ostiole.

After wasps arrive in the central cavity of the syconium they oviposit and pollinate during the day or two before they die.
The Female wasp enters the fig with her pollen sacks laden with unintentionally collected pollen and pollinates those female fig flowers with longish styles. These long styles prevent the wasp from reaching its Ovary and thus from laying eggs in it. The wasp targets the flowers with short styles and lays a single egg in each one.

Within these fig inflorescences there is polymorphism in style length among the pistillate florets. The fig wasp’s ovipositor is long enough to reach down shorter-styled florets and into the ovary, but is usually not long enough to reach down longer styles and into the ovary.
Thus the short-styled florets usually produce wasps, while the longstyled florets usually produce seeds.

Eggs are laid by extending the ovipositor down the style and into the ovary of a pistillate floret, where the larva will develop while feeding on the
tissues associated with the developing seed. These female flowers react to the egg, producing a gall, which nourishes the developing larvae. They eventually pupate and becomes adult wasps.

After females lay eggs, the wasps die in the central cavity of the syconium. The larvae and seeds develop.
The male progeny emerge from the ovaries of the pistillate florets in which they developed. The robust Male wasps develop first, fertilize the young Female wasps and then burrow through the wall of the fig, allowing oxygen in.

The males have reduced eyes and little pigmentation. Their legs are short and thick, and their abdomens curl under the ventral surface of the thorax and head. The males wander through the labyrinth-garden of swollen pistillate and now mature staminate florets, searching for females. These females are mature, but remain quiescent in the floral ovaries in which they developed. When a male finds an ovary containing a female, he chews a hole, inserts his telescoping abdomen, and mates with the female.

After a one to two day mating period, one or more males chew(s) an exit tunnel through the wall of the syconium. Following completion of the exit tunnel, the females widen the hole in the floret ovary created by the male during mating, and then struggle free into the central cavity of the syconium. Their wings are stuck to the abdomen and the pupal skin still covers their heads. They quickly groom their wings free by passing their rear legs between the wings and upper abdomen while simultaneously removing their pupal skin from their head with their forelegs.
After grooming, the female wasps now load pollen from the male fig flowers. After several loads have been collected, the wasps leave the syconium through the exit tunnel and quickly take to the air. Those wasps that successfully find receptive syconia begin the cycle again.
This is an excellent example of a mutualistic relationship between the fig tree and the wasp, where both benefit.

Diagnosis (female):

Gaster: Laterally compressed; distinct tail formed only by the ovipositor and its sheaths ; valves of the ovipositor extruding. Ovipositor sheath as long as the gaster.

Fore wing not extremely densely pilose and marginal vein slender

Head: dorso-ventrally flattened; usually with 3 ocelli.
Face medially has a groove into which the antennal scapes fit, when folded back

Antennae: Scape strongly broadened; the 3rd antennal segment apically produced into an appendage (which can be used as a crowbar in removing/lifting ostiolar bracts)

Mouth parts: the mandibles are situated underneath the head, possess a posterior flat appendage provided with ventral lamellae or rows of teeth (which help to anchor the body in front and pull forward when enterong the fig ostiole

Thorax: Usually smooth and flat. Fore and hind legs short and strong; tibia with stout teeth (to push the body forward through the ostiole while entering the fig)

Fore leg tibia with a dorso-apical comb of 4 teeth.

ExFmem wrote: ↑Sat Jul 18, 2020 12:09 am "Holy FIG WASP, Batman!"

Such a "fig" is a microcosmos

And the tree and the insects are equally fascinating.

One of the rare cases where good papaers are available to study the insects adaptation for its lifestyle. That's when insect ID's are interesting and can lead to meaningful knowledge about the life cycles in nature and how nature works in reproducing or changing ecosystems.

As I said: Great find and outstanding excellent photo showcasing some interesting deatil on a tiny insect.

Entry done - please edit/add as you see fit. Thank you once again for introducing me to a very intriguing codependency I was never aware existed.

Small butterfly, 2-3cm.

Marloth

Southern Veined Arab Colotis vesta argillaceus dry season form

Klippies!

The scarlet tip...

are there no flowers left for them?