Parasitic Recognition Behavior of Telenomus remus Nixon, an Important Egg Parasitoid of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith)

<i>T. remus</i> is an important egg parasitoid of <i>S. frugiperda</i>, serving as a significant role in its biological control. This study systematically examined the host discrimination behavior of <i>T. remus</i>. The parasitic process comprises several distinct behavioral stages: host searching, antennal tapping and examination, ovipositor probing, "8"-shaped marking, and grooming. Following successful oviposition, females perform a characteristic "8"-shaped marking on the host egg surface with their ovipositor, which deters conspecific females from parasitizing the same host. <i>T. remus</i> exhibited a pronounced ability to discriminate parasitized hosts, utilizing both antennae and ovipositor to avoid superparasitism. As host density increased, the searching time of <i>T. remus</i> decreased while the parasitism rate increased, eventually stabilizing. Parasitic discrimination was significantly influenced by oviposition experience: experienced females effectively recognized marked host eggs across a temperature range of 16 to 36 °C and time intervals of 0 to 12 h post oviposition. In contrast, naive females exhibited discrimination ability only at lower temperature (16 °C) and immediately following oviposition (0 h). These findings deepen the understanding of the behavioral ecology of <i>T. remus</i> and provide a crucial theoretical basis for its efficient application in the biological control of <i>S. frugiperda</i>.