Global Patterns of Description of Agaonidae

This study explores the global patterns in the species description of fig wasps (Agaonidae), the pollinators of Ficus. Fig wasps play a crucial role in maintaining tropical biodiversity by supporting food webs. Despite their ecological importance, many fig wasp species remain undescribed, especially in tropical regions where hidden and dark biodiversity are prevalent. By analyzing historical and geographical data, this research identifies underexplored regions and highlights knowledge gaps, particularly in areas like the Neotropics and Afrotropics. Findings emphasize the need for more targeted sampling and taxonomy efforts to bridge these gaps, advancing our understanding of biodiversity and species interactions essential for ecosystem stability. This work is a call to highlight the importance of previous work on this group, to highlight areas with Linnaean deficits and to support global conservation priorities.
Figure: A. Worldwide distribution of Agaonidae dark diversity. Results were represented in quartiles. B. Hot spot analysis of Agaonidae dark diversity. Blue: cold spots (clusters of countries where dark diversity values were significantly lower than in the rest of the world). Red: hot spots (clusters of countries where the dark diversity values were significantly higher than in the rest of the world).

Read the full article, published by Zoological Studies, here

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