| Sycophaga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sycophaga sp., adult females on F. sur | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Pteromalidae |
| Subfamily: | Sycophaginae |
| Genus: | Sycophaga Westwood, 1840 |
| Type species | |
| Sycophaga sycomori (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| Species | |
See text | |
Sycophaga is a mainly Afrotropical genus of fig wasps that live on the section Sycomorus of the monoecious [1] fig subgenus, Sycomorus, [2] and one of several fig wasp genera to exploit its mutualism with Ceratosolen wasps. [3]
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 which holds the wasp-bearing drupelets, without pollination taking place. [4]
The genus can be characterized by having a long ovipositor, non-metallic coloration, a square mesoscutellum, and a long propodeum. [5]
