78 



THE SMYRNA FIG AT HOME AND ABROAD 



THE PUPA. 



"The male and the female pupae each occupies a greater portion of the interior of 

 the gall, and the advanced female pupa, almost ready to emerge, presents the 

 appearance indicated in fig. 3." 



FlG. 3. Male and female pupa in galls, enlarged. 

 Courtesy of U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



DURATION OF THE EARLY STAGES. 



"This is a point upon which it is very difficult to secure exact data. It seems certain 

 that more than fifty days are given to the larval stage. Oviposition takes two days, or 

 perhaps longer, and the last larval stage with the pupa stage, and what may be termed 

 the immature imago stage, lasts only a few days. All of the long intermediate period is 

 occupied by the immature larval stages unless there should prove to be a prolonged egg 

 state, which is improbable. These three stages seem paralleled by the three outwardly 

 visible changes undergone by the fig, and which have been described in preceeding 

 paragraphs. The first swelling of a freshly stung fig, about four days after the 

 entering of the insect, probably marks the hatching of the egg. The long inter- 

 mediate stage of slow, almost imperceptible growth, is identical with the duration 

 of the larval stage, and includes also the pupal stage. The final and sudden expansion 

 of the fig always marks the issuing from the galls (but not from the fig) of the male 

 imagos. In the hibernating generation the duration of the final stage is greatly 

 prolonged. On March 15, Mr. Schwarz found the insect in fallen overwintering figs 

 as larva, pupa, immature imagos, and occasionally mature male imagos, and this 

 lasted until March 28 or later. The same state of affairs was found in figs sent to 

 the writer by Mr. Roeding as early as February. It seems probable that before a 

 sudden drop in temperature occurred at any time subsequent to the middle of October 

 the insect would hibernate in the several different stages. With the growth of the 

 larva the gall at the base of the male florets becomes hard, and greatly resembles a 

 seed, turning light brown in color." 



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