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The agave pulquero (Agave salmiana Otto) has ecological, economic, and social value in several regions of México, especially Hidalgo State. The current importance of the plant requires developing more agricultural practices for effect production of the crop. From September to October 2019 at the municipality of Alfajayucan, Hidalgo, México, unusual damage was detected on A. salmiana plants and suckers with symptoms of severe defoliation by lepidopteran larvae, later identified as Spodoptera ornitogalli (Guenée). The species damaged 23% of plants with severity as much as 100% on the agave pulquero crop. This is the first report of A. salmiana foliage damaged by S. ornithogalli, which should be considered a potential pest of the agave crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]