Ovipositor length of threeApocrypta species: Effect on oviposition behavior and correlation with syconial thickness |
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| Authors: | Wen-Quan Zhen Da-Wei Huang Jin-Hua Xiao Da-Rong Yang Chao-Dong Zhu Hui Xiao |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100080 Beijing, China;(2) Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 666303 Yunnan, China;(3) Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100039 Beijing, China;(4) Plant Protection College, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, 271018 Shandong, China |
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| Abstract: | We investigated oviposition behavior in three non-pollinating fig wasps: the sympatric speciesApocrypta bakeri Joseph onFicus hispida L.,A. westwoodi Grandi onF. racemosa L., andApocrypta sp. onF. semicordata Buch.-Ham. The oviposition behavior differs significantly between one pair of species (A. bakeri andA. westwoodi) and the other species (Apocrypta sp. onF. semicordata).A. bakeri andA. westwoodi were similar in the following aspects: the posture of the abdomen and the action of the hind legs before penetration, and
the bending ovipositor sheath during penetration. In contrast, the oviposition behavior ofApocrypta sp. is quite different. This difference can be explained by the significant correlation between ovipositor length and syconial
thickness.Apocrypta sp. has a shorter ovipositor than the two other species, which correlates with the thinner syconial wall of its host figF. semicordata. It is deduced that the ovipositor length adapts to the syconial thickness and induces the oviposition behavior in the different
species to diverge. For all threeApocrypta species, the midleg length and hindleg length are significantly correlated with their ovipositor lengths. This may be explained
as due to the fact that body movement adjusting the hindlegs and midlegs up and down, or forward and backward, is also influenced
by the ovipositor length. |
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| Keywords: | Oviposition behavior adaptation Apocrypta non-pollinating fig wasp |
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