A new species of high mountain Andean fig wasp (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae) with a detailed description of its life cycle

Abstract

The interaction between plants of the genus Ficus (Moraceae) and wasps of the family Agaonidae (Hymenoptera) has been well studied for a long time. However, there are few studies concerned with the basic biology of the wasps in general and even fewer studies in the Neotropics. This paper describes a new species of fig wasp, Pegoscapus bacataensis, pollinator of the Andean fig tree, Ficus andicola; as well as provides the first detailed description of the fig wasp life cycle. Five larval instars were detected, with the last two having sclerotized mouthparts. The pupa is exarate. Adults emerge about 130 days after eclosion, a time span longer than that commonly reported for pollinating fig wasps.