1984] 
Frank — Fig wasps 
297 
gium, this plate being in the down position, perpendicular to the 
abdomen. 
(iv) Dragging the pollen-dusted hypopygium over the stigmata. 
The tip of the hypopygium is kept just above the stigmatal surface 
during oviposition, and during steps (i)-(iii) described above. After 
being dusted with pollen from the arolia, the tip of the hypopygium 
is pushed down into the stigmata as the wasp begins to walk and 
search for a new floret in which to oviposit. Time spent searching 
between pollination and the beginning of the next oviposition 
ranged from 15 seconds to 150 seconds (n=5). 
Two or more wasps often oviposit and pollinate simultaneously 
within a syconium (Frank 1983a). Among the approximately one 
hundred syconia I opened with two or more wasps ovipositing 
simultaneously, I never observed any sort of behavior that might be 
called ‘aggressive.’ Ramirez (1970b) has reported that New World 
fig wasps are aggressive towards each other during oviposition and 
pollination, but he did not specify in which species he actually 
observed aggressive behavior. 
After females of P. jimenezi lay 23-130 eggs each (n=9), or 
females of P. assuetus lay 9-1 10 eggs each (n=18) (Frank 1983a), the 
wasps die in the central cavity of the syconium. The larvae and seeds 
develop — this period is referred to as the ‘interfloral phase’ of syco- 
nium development (Galil and Eisikowitch 1968). 
Male Phase of Syconium; Mating and Pollen Collecting by Wasps 
After 27-32 days the central cavity swells. The staminate florets 
are now mature (hence ‘male phase’ according to Galil and Eisiko- 
witch 1968), and the randomly located anthers are clearly visible 
within the cavity. The male progeny emerge from the ovaries of the 
pistillate florets in which they developed. The percentage of males 
among the progeny generation is much less than the percentage of 
females (typically 5-20% males). Further, there is a strong positive 
correlation in P. assuetus between the number of females oviposit- 
ing in a syconium and the percentage of males in the progeny gener- 
ation (Frank 1983a, b). The wingless males have reduced eyes and 
little pigmentation. Their legs are short and thick, and their abdo- 
mens curl under the ventral surface of the thorax and head (Fig. 8). 
The males wander through the labyrinth-garden of swollen pistillate 
and now mature staminate florets, searching for females. These 
females are mature, but remain quiescent in the floral ovaries in 
