Flower Visitors and Potential Major Pollinator of Diospyros blancoi A. DC. in Taiwan

At least eight arthropod species belonging to five taxa as flower visitors of Diospyros blancoi A. DC. were investigated in terms of their visiting frequency, activities on the flowers and pollen-bearing capacity. The main results of this study are as follows: First, thrips particularly Thrips hawaiiensis (Morgan) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and ants showed the highest visiting frequency. Second, the long pollination distance and the fruit-set on single female trees isolated by water barriers indicate that arboreal ants were not pollinators. Third, thrips species other than T. hawaiiensis were not observed in this study. Fourth, male flowers provided shelter (flower tube) and food (pollen) for T. hawaiiensis. Fifth, T. hawaiiensis visited both blooming and non-blooming female flowers. Finally, pollen was found only on thrips visiting either male or female flowers. Our results suggest that T. hawaiiensis is the major pollinator of D. blancoi in Taiwan.