Can the Generalist Predator Calosoma chinense Kirby Be Effectively Employed in the Biological Control of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith)?

<i>Calosoma chinense</i> Kirby, a generalist predator, consumes a variety of pests. To better understand its predatory behavior and capacity, particularly against <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> (J. E. Smith), we identified the field species and investigated the predation capacity of the third-instar larvae and adults of both sexes against the first- to sixth-instar larvae, pupae, and male and female adults of <i>S. frugiperda</i>. The predation preference for different developmental stages of <i>S. frugiperda</i> was further examined. Our results indicated that <i>C. chinense</i> can prey on <i>S. frugiperda</i> in various stages, including larvae and adults, demonstrating robust predatory abilities. Among them, female adults of <i>C. chinense</i> exhibited the strongest predatory ability against first-instar larvae of <i>S. frugiperda</i>, with the highest daily consumption of 38.90 ± 0.79 individuals. The first-instar larvae of <i>C. chinense</i> also showed a certain predatory ability towards <i>S. frugiperda</i>, with a daily consumption of 6.95 ± 0.88 individuals per predator. The predation ability of <i>C. chinense</i> larvae increased with larval growth, especially for the first to third instar of <i>S. frugiperda</i> larvae, and <i>C. chinense</i> female adults had the strongest predation ability, followed by male adults and then third-instar larvae. However, there was no significant difference in predation capacity against fourth- to sixth-instar larvae and male and female adults of <i>S. frugiperda,</i> nor between adults of both sexes and third-instar larvae of <i>C. chinense</i>. The predation choice experiment revealed that the third-instar larvae and male and female adults of <i>C. chinense</i> showed a positive preference for <i>S. frugiperda</i> larvae from the first to fourth instars, while for the fifth- to sixth-instar larvae, they exhibited a negative preference. Overall, <i>C. chinense</i> exhibited a strong ability to prey on <i>S. frugiperda.</i> Our study indicates that <i>C. chinense</i> has the potential for application in the biological control of <i>S. frugiperda</i>.