First report of Spodoptera littoralis in India
The African cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae – EPPO A2 List) is first reported from India. Between January to April 2023, larvae of S. littoralis were reported to cause heavy defoliation of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) plants in commercial plots in Idukki district, Kerala (Southern India). The identity of the pest was confirmed by morphological testing of adults reared in the laboratory. This is the first report of E. cardamomum as a host. This is the first published report of S. littoralis in India and the first in South Asia although some records are available in GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/species/5109931). Until now, S. littoralis and the tobacco cutworm S. litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae – EPPO A1 List), widely reported in India, have shown an allopatric distribution with S. littoralis occurring mainly in Europe and Africa and S. litura occurring mainly in Asia and Oceania.
Sources
Nafeesa M, Prathapan KD, Murugan M, Sujitha PS, Kuriakose A (2025) First report of the Egyptian cotton leaf worm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval)(Noctuidae) on small cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton (Zingiberaceae). The Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 79(3), 168-174.