The pollination syndrome of the African custard apple (Annona senegalensis Pers.; Annonaceae) was investigated to gaininsights into the reproductive strategy of this multipurpose wild shrub. Flower visitors were collected and frequently surveyedin the morning on 30 flowers of 30 plants per site, at four sites across the Sudanian and Sudano-Sahelian climatic zones ofBurkina Faso during the flowering season, from May to June. A total of nine species of insects including Coleoptera (Cur-culionidae, Scarabeidae), Hymenoptera (Formicidae) and Diptera (Tephritidae) were observed visiting flowers. Among therecorded insects, two sympatric species of weevil (Curculioninae, Ochyromerini, Endaeus castus Schoenherr and Endaeusfloralis Marshall) were by far the most abundant (97% of specimens) and were observed on all the 120 flowers sampled. Bothspecies were observed on the fleshy petals of the cantharophilous flowers of Annona senegalensis that they use as substratefor the development of larval stages. These observations echo with the ever-growing number of researches highlightingthe major role of weevils in the pollination of the pantropical Annonaceae. Our study provides first evidence of brood-sitemutualism between an Annonaceae species and its specialized weevils pollinators.

Annona senegalensis Pollinating insects Diversity Pollination chamber