Abstract  [Objectives]  To investigate differences in the olfactory-cues that attract larvae of an invasive species, Spodoptera frugiperda, and a native species, Mythimna separata, on a locomotion compensator. [Methods]  We recorded seven walking parameters (walking speed, track length, vector length, straightness, sine of the vector angle, upward length and upward straightness) of third instar larvae of both species to 11 volatiles commonly emitted from the leaves of different corn varieties. [Results]  Principal component analysis indicates that the original seven walking parameters recorded by this system can be simplified to two principal components that explain 85.45% of the total cumulative variance. These principal components were respectively, “activity factor” and “attractivity factor”. Analysis of variance, and post hoc comparisons, indicate that activity factor scores of S. frugiperda larvae were always lower than those of M. separata, regardless of the volatiles tested. Among the 11 corn volatiles tested, (E)-β-carophyllene and geranyl acetate activated larvae the most, whereas β-pinene and decanal elicited the highest attractivity factor scores. [Conclusion]  Larvae of M. separata always exhibited a more active response than those of S. frugiperda to the corn volatiles tested. Interspecific comparison of the attractivity factor score indicates that β-pinene and linalool are significantly more attractive to S. frugiperda larvae than M. separata larvae, whereas cis-3-hexenyl acetate is significantly more attractive to M. separata larvae than to S. frugiperda larvae.