Occurrence of fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) in Ficus caria and F. microcarpa in Hatay, Turkey

Abstract

This study focuses on fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea), considering that only 2 fig wasp species, Blastophaga psenes (L.) and Philotrypesis caricae (L.) (new record) are associated with Ficus carica in Turkey. Five fig wasps species, namely Eupristina verticillata Waterston, Walkerella microcarpae Bouček, Odontofroggatia ishii Wiebes, Philotrypesis taiwanensis Chen, and Philotrypesis emeryi Grandi were found on Ficus microcarpa (L.), which is an Asian fig tree, and has been ornamentally cultivated in Turkey since the 1930s. Among them, E. verticillata was detected as a specific pollinator of F. microcarpa, the rest of the species were not pollinators, and all of them are new records for Turkey. The results suggest that the time of influx of these wasps into Turkey is unknown, but it can be assumed that they came together with F. microcarpa when it was brought from somewhere in the world during the period before the Hatay Republic. Distribution, biology, and systematic notes of each species are all given.

This study focuses on fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea), considering that only 2 fig wasp species, Blastophaga psenes (L.) and Philotrypesis caricae (L.) (new record) are associated with Ficus carica in Turkey. Five fig wasps species, namely Eupristina verticillata Waterston, Walkerella microcarpae Bouček, Odontofroggatia ishii Wiebes, Philotrypesis taiwanensis Chen, and Philotrypesis emeryi Grandi were found on Ficus microcarpa (L.), which is an Asian fig tree, and has been ornamentally cultivated in Turkey since the 1930s. Among them, E. verticillata was detected as a specific pollinator of F. microcarpa, the rest of the species were not pollinators, and all of them are new records for Turkey. The results suggest that the time of influx of these wasps into Turkey is unknown, but it can be assumed that they came together with F. microcarpa when it was brought from somewhere in the world during the period before the Hatay Republic. Distribution, biology, and systematic notes of each species are all given.