The Trichogrammatidae have 3-segmented
tarsi, without strigil on the foretarsus. The
abdomen is broadly jointed to the
metathorax and is penetrated by a muscle-bearing mesophragma. Its
forewings are fringed by marginal cilia and are larger than its
hindwings. They are not strong fliers and are generally moved through the air by the prevailing winds. Their fore wings are typically somewhat stubby and paddle-shaped, with a long fringe of hinged
setae around the outer margin to increase the surface area during the downstroke. Males of some species are wingless, and mate with their sisters inside the host egg in which they are born, dying without ever leaving the host egg.
Antennae It has short
antennae, with the sockets low on its face and are elbowed at the junction of the
scape and
pedicel. The scape is held in a facial scrobe. The
flagellum consists of 1 or 2
annuli and the flagellar segments vary between genera but do not exceed 7 in female antennae. The funicle never exceeds 2 segments and may be absent. The
clava consists of 1 to 5 segments. The male antennae are usually similar to those of females but in some genera (e.g.,
Ufens, Trichogramma) there is a noticeable difference in the antennae. The neurons develop during
pupation with functional nuclei and manufacture enough
proteins to last through the short lifespans of the adults. Before emerging as an adult, the nuclei are destroyed, allowing the wasp to conserve space by making the neurons smaller. Even without nuclei (which contain the
DNA, essential for manufacturing proteins to repair damage in living cells), the neurons can survive because the proteins manufactured as a pupa are sufficient. == Diet ==