| Title | Chromosome numbers are not fixed in Agaonidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) |
| Author | Liu, Qing |
| Publication | SYMBIOSIS |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Corresponding Author | Yang, DR |
| Abstract | Agaonidae (the pollinators of fig trees, Ficus spp., Moraceae) are a distinctive family of chalcid wasps with uncertain affinities within the Chalcidoidea. Chromosome numbers have only been described previously for one species (Blastophaga psenes, 2n=12, the pollinator of F. carica, of subgenus Ficus). In this paper, we used a modified technique to analyze the karyology of three Ceratosolen species, Ceratosolen solmsi, C. graveli and C. emarginatus which are associated with figs of Ficus subgenus Sycomorus. Their karyotypes are 2n=10. All the chromosomes are metacentric (NF=20) with little difference in relative lengths, making them hard to distinguish. The variation in chromosome numbers that we have detected suggests that karyology can usefully complement molecular-based studies of the phylogeny of fig wasps. |
