Global Geographical Patterns on the Historical Species Description Process of Fig Wasps (Agaonidae).

Abstract

Fig pollinating wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Agaonidae) constitute a key ecological role since they are the only known pollinators to Ficus (Moraceae), founding complex food webs. Taxonomy of Agaonidae is relatively well known due to their ecological importance and their mutualistic closed relationship with Ficus. However, the spatial and temporal patterns that have influenced the agaonid distribution as well as the species description record of this family are yet unknown. Here, we aim to study the taxonomical and nomenclatural knowledge status of Agaonidae (following Burks et al. 2022) in each biogeographical region and globally. We analyse taxonomic factors, such as the number of described species or the amount of non-valid binominals, together with their historical description process. By retrieving and analysing all available geographical and nomenclatural data in fig wasps of the Universal Chalcidoidea Database, we have found that the diversity of Agaonidae is underestimated, exhibiting a high potential dark biodiversity, especially in the tropical areas where the highest diversity is observed. The species richness of Agaonidae varies depending on the biogeographical region, being more unknown in the Neotropical region, and higher and better represented other tropical areas such as the Afrotropical or Oriental realms. Our results indicate that there is a strong need for increasing sampling efforts and research for a better understanding of Agaonidae diversity and interspecific relationships, as well as inventory revisions to correct potentially redundant binominal names.