''Pleistodontes '' is a genus of

fig wasp Fig wasps are wasps of the superfamily Chalcidoidea which spend their larval stage inside fig syconia. Some are pollinators but others simply feed off the plant. The non-pollinators belong to several groups within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, ...

s native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

, with one species (''P. claviger'') from

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

. Fig wasps have an

obligate {{wiktionary, obligate As an adjective, obligate means "by necessity" (antonym '' facultative'') and is used mainly in biology in phrases such as: * Obligate aerobe, an organism that cannot survive without oxygen * Obligate anaerobe, an organism ...

mutualism Mutualism may refer to: * Mutualism (biology), positive interactions between species * Mutualism (economic theory), associated with Pierre-Joseph Proudhon * Mutualism (movement), social movement promoting mutual organizations * Mutualism model o ...

with the

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...

species they pollinate. ''Pleistodontes '' pollinates species in section ''Malvanthera'' of the ''Ficus''

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( 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 the ge ...

Urostigma A banyan, also spelled banian ( ), is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adjacent prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...

''. In their revision of the Australian members of the genus, Carlos Lopez-Vaamonde and coauthors expressed the opinion that ''P. claviger'' did not belong in the genus.

Species

The

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...

lists: * ''

Pleistodontes addicotti ''Pleistodontes '' is a genus of fig wasps native to Australia and New Guinea, with one species (''P. claviger'') from Java. Fig wasps have an obligate mutualism with the fig species they pollinate. ''Pleistodontes '' pollinates species in sec ...

'' Wiebes * '' Pleistodontes achorus'' Lopez-Vaamonde, Dixon & Cook * '' Pleistodontes astrabocheilus'' Lopez-Vaamonde, Dixon & Cook * '' Pleistodontes athysanus'' Lopez-Vaamonde, Dixon & Cook * '' Pleistodontes blandus'' Wiebes * ''

Pleistodontes claviger ''Pleistodontes '' is a genus of fig wasps native to Australia and New Guinea, with one species (''P. claviger'') from Java. Fig wasps have an obligate mutualism with the fig species they pollinate. ''Pleistodontes '' pollinates species in sec ...

'' (

Mayr Mayr is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrea Mayr (born 1979), Austrian female long-distance runner * Ernst Mayr (1904–2005), German American evolutionary biologist * Franz Xaver Mayr (1875–1965), Austrian gastro ...

) * '' Pleistodontes cuneatus'' Wiebes * '' Pleistodontes deuterus'' Lopez-Vaamonde, Dixon & Cook * ''

Pleistodontes froggatti ''Pleistodontes froggatti'' is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia. It has an obligate mutualism with the Moreton Bay Fig, ''Ficus macrophylla'', the species it pollinates. Outside Australia, populations have become established ...

'' Mayr * ''

Pleistodontes galbinus ''Pleistodontes '' is a genus of fig wasps native to Australia and New Guinea, with one species (''P. claviger'') from Java. Fig wasps have an obligate mutualism with the fig species they pollinate. ''Pleistodontes '' pollinates species in sec ...

'' Wiebes * ''

Pleistodontes greenwoodi ''Pleistodontes greenwoodi'' is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia. It has an obligate mutualism with ''Ficus obliqua ''Ficus obliqua'', commonly known as the small-leaved fig, is a tree in the family Moraceae, native to eas ...

'' ( Grandi) * ''

Pleistodontes immaturus ''Pleistodontes '' is a genus of fig wasps native to Australia and New Guinea, with one species (''P. claviger'') from Java. Fig wasps have an obligate mutualism with the fig species they pollinate. ''Pleistodontes '' pollinates species in sec ...

'' Wiebes * ''

Pleistodontes imperialis ''Pleistodontes imperialis'' is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia. It has an obligate mutualism with '' Ficus rubiginosa'', the fig species it pollinates. It is the type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclat ...

'' Saunders * ''

Pleistodontes longicaudus ''Pleistodontes '' is a genus of fig wasps native to Australia and New Guinea, with one species (''P. claviger'') from Java. Fig wasps have an obligate mutualism with the fig species they pollinate. ''Pleistodontes '' pollinates species in sec ...

'' Wiebes * ''

Pleistodontes macrocainus ''Pleistodontes macrocainus'' is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian c ...

'' Lopez-Vaamonde, Dixon & Cook * ''

Pleistodontes mandibularis ''Pleistodontes '' is a genus of fig wasps native to Australia and New Guinea, with one species (''P. claviger'') from Java. Fig wasps have an obligate mutualism with the fig species they pollinate. ''Pleistodontes '' pollinates species in sec ...

'' Wiebes * ''

Pleistodontes nigriventris ''Pleistodontes nigriventris'' is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia. It has an obligate mutualism with ''Ficus watkinsiana ''Ficus watkinsiana'', commonly known as strangler fig, Watkins' fig, nipple fig or the green-leave ...

'' ( Girault) * '' Pleistodontes nitens'' (Girault) * '' Pleistodontes plebejus'' Wiebes * '' Pleistodontes proximus'' Wiebes * '' Pleistodontes regalis'' Grandi * '' Pleistodontes rennellensis'' Wiebes * '' Pleistodontes rieki'' Wiebes * '' Pleistodontes rigisamos'' Wiebes * '' Pleistodontes schizodontus'' Lopez-Vaamonde, Dixon & Cook * '' Pleistodontes xanthocephalus'' Lopez-Vaamonde, Dixon & Cook

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7204489 Agaonidae Hymenoptera genera Hymenoptera of Australia Insects of New Guinea Insects of Indonesia Taxa named by Edward Saunders (entomologist)