Cereal Leaf Beetle vs Corn Earworm

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cereal Leaf Beetle Corn Earworm
Scientific Name Oulema melanopus Helicoverpa zea
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Noctuidae
Size 4-5 mm 35-40 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Seed Feeders Fruit Feeders
Regions Europe, North America (invasive), Asia Americas
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Cereal Leaf Beetle

A small beetle with metallic blue-black elytra and a red-orange thorax. Its larvae strip the upper leaf surface of cereal crops.

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Did You Know?

Larvae carry a shield of their own faeces on their backs to deter predators and prevent desiccation.

Corn Earworm

A highly polyphagous moth whose caterpillars feed inside corn ears, tomato fruits, and cotton bolls. It is one of the costliest crop pests in the Americas.

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Did You Know?

Caterpillars are cannibalistic, so usually only one survives per corn ear.