[Objectives]  To develop a rapid, and accurate, method of identifying all developmental stages of Spodoptera frugiperda based on a species-specific marker in order to enable the detection of this important invasive pest in the mixed samples of insect fragments commonly obtained by customs and plant protection monitoring stations. [Methods]  The mtDNA COⅠ gene universal primer LCO1490/HCO2198 was used to amplify COⅠ gene sequences of 11 lepidopteran species. Six pairs of PCR specific primers, and one pair of qPCR specific primers and a probe, were designed according to a conserved sequence fragment of S. frugiperda. The DNA of the tested insect species were extracted as templates to determine the specificity of the primers. [Results]  The PCR primers SF3F/SF3R, and the qPCR primers 60F/154R, had specific amplification capabilities for the genome template of different developmental stages (egg, larva, pupa and adult) of S. frugiperda. Sensitivity tests indicate that the minimum PCR and qPCR detection concentrations of the primers for the DNA template of S. frugiperda were 1 ng/μL and 10 pg/μL, respectively. [Conclusion]  A rapid identification protocol developed based on species-specific markers can improve the efficiency and accuracy of identifying different developmental stages of S. frugiperda.