Little Wasp Bores Into Figs With Zinc-Tipped Ovipositor
Posted on May 29, 2014
Scientists have discovered that a little fig wasp (Apocrypta westwoodi grandi) is equipped with a sharp zinc-tipped ovipositor. The wasp uses the ovipositor to bore into hard figs so it can deposit its eggs.
Namrata Gundiah from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and graduate student Laksminath Kundanati examined the wasp's ovipositor using scanning electronic microscopy and found it resembles a drill bit with teeth. The structure has tiny pits in the shaft where it bends as a female wasp drives the tip into the fig. The scientists also found sensory structures in the tip that may help the wasp guide to ovipositor to the best drilling locations.
Take a look:
The research is reported here in the Journal of Experimental Biology.