Blastophaga [SEP] parent taxon
Blastophaga
Blastophaga is a wasp genus in the family Agaonidae (fig wasps) which pollinate figs or are otherwise associated with figs, a coevolutional relationship that has been developing for at least 80 million years. Pollinating fig wasps are specific to specific figs. The common fig "Ficus carica" is pollinated by "Blastophaga psenes".
Blastophaga psenes
Blastophaga psenes is a wasp species in the genus "Blastophaga". It pollinates the common fig "Ficus carica" and the closely related "Ficus palmata". Without a colony or nest, these wasps breed in figs and live for only a few days or weeks. They locate the fig they wish to pollinate through olfactory senses.
Taxonomy and phylogenetics.
Mutualism occurs between fig and fig wasps, which creates a need for specific species of figs to be pollinated by specific species of wasps. The