The eggs hatch within 2-4 days after being laid on the lower leaf surfaces. Life cycleįall armyworm can complete its life cycle within 23-27 days (from egg laying to the emergence of adult moths), when suitable temperatures and host plants are present. If you find crop damage symptoms, carefully examine the plants for larvae to identify which species are present. Damageįall armyworm damage by larger larvae in many crops produces similar symptoms on foliage to that caused by other caterpillars and chewing insects. Male moths are more patterned and have distinct triangular white spots at the tip and near the centre of each forewing (Figure 4). Female moths are slightly larger than males, although both sexes have a white hindwing with a dark-brown margin. The pupae are shiny brown and between 1.3 and 1.7 cm long.Īdult fall armyworm moths measure 3-4 cm from wingtip to wingtip. Two dark spots with dark spines occur on each body segment on the upper body surface, with 4 black spots arranged in a square on the last abdominal segment.įall armyworm larvae normally pupate in the soil. The large caterpillars have a pale inverted “Y” shape between the eyes. Large fall armyworm larvae grow to 3-4 cm, becoming darker as they mature, with pale white stripes along the length of the body (Figure 3). What remains is an opaque layer of cuticle referred to as a ‘window’ which are typically more evident than the presence of larvae (Figure 2). Young larvae feed on one surface of the leaf. Small fall armyworm larvae are usually light green to brown, with a dark head capsule. The larval life cycle stages cause widespread damage to crops through feeding.įall armyworm eggs are usually laid on the under surface of leaves in clustered masses of 100-200, covered with a ‘felt like’ layer of scales (Figure 1).
The fall armyworm life cycle has an egg stage, 5 to 6 caterpillar (larval) stages, a pupal stage and an adult moth stage.
Other Spodoptera species already found in Australia include the lawn armyworm and the dayfeeding armyworm. If you need assistance with larval identification please send clear photos (head and tail ends) to the email address: Descriptionįall armyworm is the name commonly attributed to the larval stage of the moth Spodoptera frugiperda. The webinar was recorded and can be viewed as an entire playlist or separate videos (link directs to Notifiable statusįall armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda) is no longer a notifiable plant pest in NSW. WebinarĪ webinar was held in 2020 to discuss the current situation in NSW, biology and damage caused, identification, surveillance activities, how to report, and chemical control options. NSW DPI have collated a list of Top Tips for the management of fall armyworm here.ĭownload the fall army worm identification guide (PDF, 2534.79 KB).
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