Host-switch
Guides
Pleistodontes imperialis
Port Jackson Fig Wasp
Pleistodontes imperialis is a fig wasp native to Australia that maintains an obligate mutualism with Ficus rubiginosa (Port Jackson fig), serving as its exclusive pollinator. It is the type species of the genus Pleistodontes. The species has been introduced outside its native range through the ornamental planting of its host figs in Mediterranean urban habitats, with confirmed records from Greece and Cyprus. In its introduced range, it has demonstrated host-switching behavior, also developing in Ficus watkinsiana figs despite this species having a different native pollinator.