Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is native to the Americas, from as far south as La Pampa, Argentina, to as far north as southern Florida and Texas, USA. Fall armyworm caterpillars are major pests of cereals and forage grasses, and recorded as eating 186 plant species from 42 families1. In Florida, fall armyworm is the most serious pest of maize, causing up to 20% yield loss. In areas where less money is available for pest management, impacts are even more severe. The rapid spread throughout Africa was likely due to adult fall armyworm’s ability to travel very long distances. Adults can travel several hundred kilometers in a single night by flying and maintaining an elevation of several hundred meters, at which height winds can transport adults in a directional manner. Fall Armyworm’s wide distribution in the Americas and Africa suggest that it could establish easily in East and Southeast Asia. Given increasing levels of trade and transportation from infested parts of Africa and the rest of the world, it seems likely that Fall Armyworm could have been transported onwards to environmentally suitable regions.

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