Question:

Invasive pest of maize having four black spots arranged in square shape on dorsal side of the second last abdominal segment of larva

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The diagnostic marking is on the larva's abdomen, not the adult moth.
  • Cutworm
  • Fall armyworm
  • Stem borer
  • Armyworm
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is one of the most damaging invasive pests of maize, and its larvae carry a very specific identifying mark: four raised black spots arranged in a square on the dorsal surface of the second-to-last abdominal segment.
Along with an inverted "Y"-shaped marking on the head, this square-spot pattern is exactly how entomologists tell it apart from similar-looking caterpillars such as cutworms, stem borers and ordinary armyworms.
Since the question describes precisely this square arrangement of spots, Fall armyworm is the pest being described.
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