The emergence behaviour, longevity and flower utilisation of Blastophaga spp. fig wasps from Ficus deltoidea and their phylogeny / Nur Badrina Mohammad Naser

Ficus deltoidea Jack (Moraceae), a dioecious fig tree with seven varieties can be found in Peninsular Malaysia. Their lives mutually depend on fig wasps, Blastophaga spp. (Agaonidae), to disperse pollen, which in turn supports the offspring's growth. Blastophaga quadrupes is the only described pollinator of this intriguing fig tree species. However, fig wasps of different varieties are known to differ in several entomophily traits. Yet to know how different they are in emergence behaviour, longevity outside figs, and offspring sex ratio, which are likely influenced by their identity. Molecular phylogeny is required to further clarify their relatedness, true identities, and genetic distances. Blastophaga spp. of var. angustifolia, var. deltoidea, and var. trengganuensis were collected in Banting, Batu Pahat, and Tembila oil palm plantations, respectively. Studies on fig wasps of var. trengganuensis were restricted and only managed to allow phylogeny due to different growth. Emergence and longevity were studied using 36–50 male figs, which resulted in approximately 800 and 1,300 female foundress individuals of var. angustifolia and var. deltoidea, respectively. Blastophaga spp. foundresses of both var. angustifolia and var. deltoidea mostly emerged between 9:00 a.m. and 13:00 p.m. (Class 2), with a high frequency of emergence occurring and rushing within the earliest cohorts (Cohort 1) of diurnal periods.