[Aim]  To investigate the impact of temperature and the parasitoid Microplitis pallidipes on the growth and development of Spodoptera frugiperda, thereby assessing the potential of using M. pallidipes as a biological control for this pest. [Methods]  The body length, head width, body weight and food intake of S. frugiperda larvae raised at temperatures of 14, 20, 26, and 32 ℃ were measured using vernier calipers and an electronic balance, and the effects of temperature and parasitism on the growth rate and survival of S. frugiperda larvae were analyzed. [Results]  Our findings indicate that both temperature and parasite infestation significantly affected the body length, head width, weight, and food intake, of S. frugiperda larvae. Unparasitized larvae raised at 32 ℃ had 1.76 times the body length, 1.68 times the head width, 7.29 times the weight, and consumed 14.25 times more food, than those in the parasitized treatment group at the same temperature. They were also 2.85 times the body length, 2.77 times the head width, 19.96 times the body weight, and consumed 19.90 times more food, than those raised at 14 ℃ without parasitism, and had 3.30 times the body length, 3.08 times the head width, 34.70 times the weight, and consumed 106.38 times as much food, than those raised at 14 ℃ with parasitism. The body length, head width, and body weight, of unparasitized larvae were all greater than those of parasitized larvae at all four temperatures. The highest growth rate was observed in unparasitized larvae raised at 32 ℃, and the lowest in parasitized larvae raised at 14 ℃. The mortality rate of parasitized larvae was also significantly higher than that of non-parasitized larvae under all four temperatures (P<0.05). Furthermore, the mortality rate of non-parasitized larvae decreased with increasing temperature, whereas the larval stage of non-parasitized larvae and the survival time of parasitized larvae decreased with increasing temperature. [Conclusion]  These findings suggest that M. pallidipes inhibits the growth, development and survival of S. frugiperda at temperatures between 14 and 32 ℃, and that the degree of inhibition varies with temperature.