First report of Telenomus remus parasitizing Spodoptera frugiperda and its natural parasitism in South China

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a lepidopteran pest that feeds on many economically important cereal crops such as corn, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane. Native to the Americas, it has become a serious invasive pest in Africa and Asia. Recently, this pest was found invaded China and has spread exceptionally fast across the country. As S. frugiperda will most likely become a major pest in China, Integrated Pest Management strategies, including biological control methods, should be developed to win the battle against it. Here, we report the detection of Telenomus remus parasitizing S. frugiperda eggs in cornfields in South China based on morphological and molecular evidence. Our preliminary surveys indicated that the natural parasitism rates of T. remus on S. frugiperda could reach 30% and 50% for egg masses and per egg mass, respectively. Further application of T. remus against S. frugiperda in biological control programs are discussed.