''Sycophaga'' is a mainly

Afrotropical The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...

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 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 sig ...

''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious

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 ...

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 ...

, ''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 (: syconia) is the type of fruit 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 flowers, so it is co ...

which holds the wasp-bearing drupelets, without

pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma (botany), stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, for example bees, beetles or bu ...

taking place. The genus can be characterized by having a long ovipositor, non-metallic coloration, a square mesoscutellum, and a long propodeum.

Species

The described species include: * ''

Sycophaga afflicta ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Grandi, 1916 * ''

Sycophaga callani ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Grandi, 1955 * ''

Sycophaga cyclostigma ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Waterston, 1916 * ''

Sycophaga depressa ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Risbec, 1956 * ''

Sycophaga gigantea ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Grandi, 1916 * ''

Sycophaga gigas ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Mayr, 1906 * ''

Sycophaga insularis ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Grandi, 1916 * ''

Sycophaga silvestrii ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Grandi, 1916 * ''

Sycophaga sycomori ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758 * ''

Sycophaga tenebrosa ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Grandi, 1917 * ''

Sycophaga valentinae ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Grandi, 1952 * ''

Sycophaga vicina ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with '' Ceratosolen'' wasps. They enter ...

'' Mayr, 1906 * ''

Sycophaga viduata ''Sycophaga'' is a mainly Afrotropical realm, Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the Section (botany), section ''Sycomorus'' of the monoecious Ficus, fig subgenus, ''Sycomorus'', and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutual ...

'' Grandi, 1916

References

Hymenoptera genera Agaonidae {{Chalcidoidea-stub