Southern armyworm moth

Spodoptera eridania

1. Identification

• Common name: Southern armyworm
• Scientific name: Spodoptera eridania Cramer
• Order: Lepidoptera
• Family: Noctuidae

2. Pest description

• Caterpillars of variable coloration, usually greenish-brown, with light and dark longitudinal lines.
• Head with a characteristic reticulated pattern.
• Adults with brownish forewings and pale hindwings with a dark margin.
• A polyphagous species, attacking leaves, shoots and young fruits.

3. Main hosts

• Tomato.
• Pepper.
• Potato.
• Soybean.
• Cotton.
• Various vegetables and wild plants.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Extensive scrapings on the leaves, progressing to partial or total defoliation.
• Perforations in young leaves and shoots.
• Damage to tender fruits and reproductive structures.
• Reduced plant vigour and yield losses.
• Damage similar to that of Spodoptera frugiperda, but generally with lower intensity in cereals.

5. Biological cycle

• Several generations per year, accelerated in warm climates.
• Eggs laid in masses covered by scales from the female.
• Very voracious caterpillars, with rapid development.
• Pupation in the soil, in shallow chambers.
• Adults active for long periods in tropical and subtropical regions.

6. Monitoring

• Observation of scrapings and perforations on young leaves.
• Inspection of shoots and tender fruits.
• Pheromone traps for detection and flight tracking.
• Assessment of the percentage of damaged plants through direct sampling.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: destruction of crop residues, crop rotation and control of wild host plants.
• Preventive: choice of more tolerant varieties and practices that reduce the attractiveness of young plants.
• Biological: application of Bacillus thuringiensis on young caterpillars and promotion of natural parasitoids.
• Integrated protection: monitoring with pheromones, definition of intervention thresholds and judicious use of authorised insecticides.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Spodoptera eridania.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – Spodoptera eridania.
• FAO – Fall Armyworm and related Spodoptera species resources.
• Montezano, D. G., et al. (2018). Host plants of Spodoptera eridania (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 9(1): 1–7.