LAUSR

In Mexico, an area of 7,366,967 ha of corn (maize) (Zea mays L.) is planted annually, of which the state of Nayarit represents 0.41% of that total area (Servicio de Información Agroalimentaria y Pesquera, 2017, http://www.siap.gob.mx, 23 July 2017). However, its productivity is reduced by insects including the lepidopterans Helicoverpa spp., Diatrea saccharalis (Borer), and Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Salas et al. 2018, J. Entomol. Sci. 53: 569–571). Spodoptera frugiperda, commonly known as the fall armyworm, causes yield reductions ranging from 10% to 100% depending on the level of infestation (Hernández et al. 2008, J. Trop. Insect Sci. 28: 126–129). Biological control is a sustainable component of pest management and can be achieved by the use of natural enemies such as parasitoids, predators, and entomopathogens (Williams et al. 2013, Annu. Rev. Entomol. 58: 119–140). According to Bahena et al. (2002, Entomol. Mex. 1: 260–265), more than 100 species of parasitoids have been recorded attacking lepidopterans, of which 40 have been reported from Mexico. Our objective in this study was to survey and identify naturally occurring parasitoids of S. frugiperda attacking corn in Xalisco, Nayarit, Mexico. In November 2018, 104 first, second, and third instar S. frugiperda were collected at random from corn plots established in an experimental field of the