Platyscapa soraria Wiebes 1980
This fig wasp is the pollinator of Ficus ingens. Identification of fig wasps from photographs often requires association with - and identification of - the host plant.
Original description (with illustrations) in: Wiebes, J.T.; Abdurahiman, U.C. 1980, Additional notes on Platyscapa Motschulsky (Hymenoptera Chalcidoidea, Agaonidae). Proceedings. Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Amsterdam (C) 83:206 https://www.nhm.ac.uk/resources/research-curation/projects/chalcidoids/pdf_X/WiebesAb980.pdf
Description of female: Blackish. Head shorter than wide, antenna with 11 segments. Fore wing 1.3 mm long; submarginal, marginal, stigmal and postmarginal vein ratio of about 22:6:5:4; legth of hind tarsus twice that of tibia. Length (head, mesosoma and metasoma) 1.4 mm; ovipositor length 0.8 mm.
Illustrations of male: http://www.figweb.org/Fig_wasps/Agaonidae/Agaoninae/Platyscapa/Platyscapa_soraria.htm
Type locality: Zambia
Distribution (figweb.org): Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, but probably also present in the entire range of the host fig, Ficus ingens (http://www.figweb.org/Ficus/Subgenus_Urostigma/Section_Urostigma/Subsection_Urostigma/Ficus_ingens.htm).
GBIF also has collection records from Mauritius and Panama (presumably introduced).
More information on the interactions between fig wasps and figs: http://www.figweb.org/Interaction/index.htm
iNaturalist observations: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=684315
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platyscapa_soraria
Σχόλια
Thank you, @alandmanson
I had a look at the Wiebes paper - nice illustrations there. The female has a pretty fancy antenna. I assume this is good for capturing volatiles of an apt fig tree.
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