fig wasp

noun

1. a chalcid wasp, Blastophaga psenes, introduced into the U.S. from Europe, that pollinates figs, usually of the Smyrna variety.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fig wasp¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

But when you find out about the whole fig/wasp connection, you should be able to stomach it.

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That task belongs to a minuscule insect known as the fig wasp, whose life cycle is intertwined with the fig’s.

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The fig and the fig wasp are a superlative example of what biologists call codependent evolution.

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This is the fig plant’s accommodation of the fig wasp.

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A fig wasp departs a ripe fig to find an unripe fig, which means that there must always be figs at different stages.

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