Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle vs Corn Flea Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Corn Flea Beetle
Scientific Name Oryctes rhinoceros Chaetocnema pulicaria
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Dynastidae Chrysomelidae
Size 35-50 mm 1.5-2 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Sap Feeders Herbivores
Regions India, Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle

A major pest of coconut palms across tropical Asia with a single prominent horn. Adults bore into the crown of palms, causing severe damage to fronds.

💡

Did You Know?

A biological control virus called Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus has been successfully used to manage this pest.

Corn Flea Beetle

A very small, shiny black to bronze flea beetle with a compact, oval body. It vectors Stewart's wilt bacterium, making it both a direct and indirect pest of sweet corn.

💡

Did You Know?

The severity of Stewart's wilt in a given year can be predicted by winter temperatures, since cold winters reduce overwintering beetle populations.