Farache, FHA, Rasplus, JY, Azar, D et al. (2 more authors) (2016) First record of a non-pollinating fig wasp (Hymenoptera: Sycophaginae) from Dominican amber, with estimation of the size of its host figs. Journal of Natural History, 50 (35-36). pp. 2237-2247. ISSN 0022-2933
Abstract
Fig trees and their pollinating fig wasps arose about 75 million years ago in the Cretaceous period. Several other groups of chalcid wasps also utilize figs for larval development, including sycophagines, the putative sister group to pollinating fig wasps. Whereas stone and amber fossil pollinators are known, no fossils representing non-pollinating fig wasp groups have been confirmed previously. Here, we describe the first Sycophaginae from the c.15–20 Ma Dominican amber, Idarnes thanatos sp. nov. Farache, Rasplus, Pereira and Compton, and discuss its relationships within the Idarnes carme species group. Additionally, we use linear regression to compare body size, ovipositor sheaths length, and host fig size data from extant Idarnes species to estimate the size of its host figs. Idarnes thanatos was most likely associated with small to medium sized figs (diameter ≤1.0 cm), that were likely to have been dispersed by birds and primates. The discovery of this close relative of extant non-pollinating fig wasps suggests that early Miocene and modern fig wasp communities may share similar ecological and functional features.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Journal of Natural History. The version of record of this manuscript has been published and is available in http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2016.1193646. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Agaonidae, Chalcidoidea, Ficus, fossil insect communities, Miocene, palaeoecology |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 16 Aug 2016 15:28 |
Last Modified: | 18 Jul 2017 06:19 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2016.1193646 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/00222933.2016.1193646 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:103701 |