Biology
An electron micrograph showing the metasoma of a female Telenomus dignus.
Telenomus dignus is approximately 1mm long.
The species is a solitary, primary endoparasitoid in the eggs of Lepidoptera associated with
- graminaceous crops
- rice (Oryza sativa)
- sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)
Recorded hosts of T. dignus are mainly
- stem borers in the crambid genera
- Chilo
- Scirpophaga (=Schoenobius, Tryporyza)
- armyworm Spodoptera litura
What many of the recorded hosts of T. dignus have in common is that the eggs are covered by a protective layer of scales deposited by the female moth during oviposition.
Ovipositing female T. dignus may be attracted to egg masses with such a scale covering. Alternatively, it is possible that an egg mass of Spodoptera litura was mistaken for that of a Scirpophaga species (compare the following images:
http://www.jnkvv.nic.in/IPM%20Project/natural_enemy/Telenomus-remus-parasitic.jpg
http://www.jpmoth.org/Crambidae/Schoenobiinae/L1Scirpophaga_incertulas.jpg
Females probably mark each egg after oviposition as with most Telenomus species, and fecundity is likely to be variable under different conditions and between individuals (Polaszek & K., 2007).