First record of fall army worm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) from Nepal

The fall army worm Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a destructive invasive insect pest of cereal crops native to American continent. It is a polyphagous insect with host range of more than 353 plant species and maize is a preferred host. This pest is a strong flier and can fly up to 500 km before oviposition. Present study reports S. frugiperda as a first record from Nepal (Nawalpur district) observed in May 2019 along with its morphological and molecular diagnosis.