Occurrence of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India with a note on rove beetle as its potential natural enemy.

The occurrence of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in maize fields of Tirupati region, Andhra Pradesh is herewith reported. Field surveys in maize fields revealed that the rove beetle, Paederus fuscipes Curtis (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) was found predating the larvae of fall armyworm and this is the first report of P. fuscipes on fall armyworm from India. The species identity of both fall armyworm and the rove beetle was confirmed through molecular studies by amplifying cytochrome oxidase I gene (CO1) and DNA barcoding.