larvae. Host plants S. litura has over 112 host species belonging to over 40 plant families, making the species highly polyphagous. S. litura cause severe damage to their hosts by their vicious eating habits as larvae. Some common host plants include but are not limited to: tobacco, cotton, soybean, beet, cabbage, and chickpeas. When the host plant in a particular area is depleted, big groups of larvae will migrate to find a new food source. Interaction with humans Pest activity Some external signs of pest activity that can be seen are large holes on leaves, injured stem bases, and discoloration of leaves. Because S. litura acts as a pest on many different kinds of agricultural crops, its presence can cause economic losses in regions where these crops are cultivated. For example, S. litura has been responsible for the 71% yield loss of groundnut in the southern states of India. Another figure shows that S. litura can decrease tobacco yield by 23–50%. This can cause major economic strain since 36 million people are directly or indirectly involved in the production, sale, marketing, or transport of the tobacco crop. The significant impact on agriculture S. litura can have as pests has earned the species a spot on the quarantine list for many countries including the United States of America. Pesticides Due to its presence in many important crops in agriculture, pesticides are always being applied on the species throughout the year. This has caused the rapid evolution of pesticide and insecticide resistance in S. litura. In addition, the sheer amount of pesticides being used have caused concern for pesticide residue on food, environmental damage, and the destruction of beneficial species. Therefore, recent research studies have focused on other biological ways to effectively control these pests. A current study of controlling this pest focuses on using the fungus Nomuraea rileyi on the larval stage of this moth. It was found that spraying a solution of this fungus on larvae in a laboratory setting has led to effective control of the late second and early third instar stages of the larvae on castor crops. When tested in the field, there was a very high larvae mortality of 88–97% 19 days after application of the fungal solution. See also Spodoptera littoralis African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta) Citations External links Spodoptera Moths of Asia Moths of Oceania Agricultural pest insects Moths of Japan Moths of New Zealand