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Chickpeas are one of the most important pulse crop in the world, and production in Brazil is small, but ramping up. In regions where cultivation is recent, such as the state of Rio de Janeiro, it is important to evaluate the agronomic performance of different chickpea cultivars, their adaptability to edaphoclimatic conditions and phytosanitary aspects. Pests can vary from one location to another and pose risks to the crop. Caterpillars are the main pests of chickpea in Brazil and throughout the world. Thus, this work aims to evaluate the occurrence of caterpillars associated with chickpea culture in an experimental area, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Four chickpea cultivars were evaluated (BRS Aleppo, BRS Cícero, BRS Cristalino and BRS Toro), using randomized block distribution and four replications per treatment. The greatest rate of damaged pods occurred in the BRS Aleppo and BRS Cristalino cultivars with 62%, while BRS Toro showed 48% and BRS Cícero 25%. Two species of Lepidoptera identified as Chloridea virescens and Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were found attacking the chickpea pods (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Of these, 14 (64%) were C. virescens and eight (36%) were H. armigera. This is the first report of these two species in chickpeas in the state of Rio de Janeiro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]