Studies of Ceratosolen galili, a Non-Pollinating Agaonid Fig Wasp

Abstract

The African fig tree Ficus sycomorus is host to two species of agaonid fig wasps, Ceratosolen arabicus and C. galili. Our studies of C. galili in southern Africa confirm that it does not actively pollinate the figs of F. sycomorus, although some accidental pollination takes place. The absence of pollination behavior in C. galili raises questions about the reasons why other agaonids pollinate the figs and thereby maintain the fig-fig wasp mutualism. C. galili larvae did not suffer elevated mortality rates when developing in unpollinated flowers and the only potential cost of not pollinating that we detected was that adult female C. galili were smaller than those of C. arabicus that developed on the same tree. UMCABANGO-NJE Umkhiiwane wase Afrika, i Ficus sycomorus, ungosokhaya wohlobo olubili lweminyouu, okuyi- Ceratosolen arabicus ne C. galili. Ucwaningo lwethu lwe C. galili yase Afrika yase-Ningizimu luginisekisile ukuthi ayiyiqholi neze imikhiwane ye F. sycomorus, nakuba kwenzeka ngengozi iqholeke lemi khiwane. Ukungaqholi kwe C. galili kususa imibuzo ngeziza thu ezenza ukuba eminye iminyouu eyi agaonids iziqhole izimbali zomkhiwane ngaleyondlela igcine ubudlelwano phakathi kwayo iminyouu nemikhiwane. Izibungu ze C. galili azange zitshengise izinga eliphakeme lokufa ngenkathi zikhula ezi mbalini ezingaqholiwe. Ukukhubazeka, nokho, esakubona wukuthi iminyouu yesifazane endala yayiyimincane ngemizimba kunaleyo yeminyouu eqhololayo, i C. arabicus eyayikhula kanye nayo esihlahlemi esisodwa.