Eupristina verticillata Waterstone, 1921

Hymenoptera, Agaonidae

on Ficus

gall

A fertilised female, loaded with pollen, penetrates an unripe fig via a narrow opening at the top. She oviposits in the female florets within the fig, that develop into a small, globular shining gall; crawling around within the fig she fertilizes many more florets than are galled. From the galls emerge females and apterous males that, after having fertilised a female remain in the fig. The young females leave the fig covered with pollen.

hostplants

Moraceae, narrowly monophagous

Ficus ? benjamina, microcarpa.

references

Mifsud, Falzon, Malumphy ao (2012a).

14/05/2017