Cockchafer vs Striped Flea Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cockchafer Striped Flea Beetle
Scientific Name Melolontha melolontha Phyllotreta striolata
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Chrysomelidae
Size 25-30 mm 1.5-2.5 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Root Feeders Herbivores
Regions Western Europe, Central Europe, Northern Europe North America, Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Cockchafer

A large, clumsy-flying chafer beetle that emerges en masse on warm May evenings. Its white C-shaped larvae are familiar agricultural pests across Europe.

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Did You Know?

In medieval Europe, cockchafer swarms were so destructive that they were once put on trial in court.

Striped Flea Beetle

A tiny jumping beetle that riddles cruciferous crop leaves with small round holes. Adults overwinter in soil and leaf litter near fields.

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Did You Know?

Flea beetles can jump up to 100 times their own body length when disturbed.