Corn Flea Beetle vs Corn Planthopper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Corn Flea Beetle Corn Planthopper
Scientific Name Chaetocnema pulicaria Peregrinus maidis
Order Coleoptera Hemiptera
Family Chrysomelidae Delphacidae
Size 1.5-2 mm 3-4 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Herbivores Sap Feeders
Regions North America Worldwide tropical and subtropical regions
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

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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.

Corn Planthopper

A cosmopolitan planthopper pest of maize with a yellowish-brown body. It transmits maize mosaic virus and maize stripe virus, causing significant crop losses in tropical regions.

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Did You Know?

Its species name 'maidis' comes from Zea mays (maize), and it is one of the most widely distributed planthoppers, found on every continent where corn is grown.