Chaetocnema pulicaria

Chaetocnema pulicaria, commonly known as the corn flea beetle or clover flea beetle, is a small flea beetle (Chrysomelidae) native to North America. Adults are approximately 1.6 mm long, black with orange legs and antennae. The species is a significant agricultural pest of corn (Zea mays), feeding on foliage and serving as the primary overwintering vector for Pantoea stewartii, the bacterium that causes Stewart's wilt disease. Climate change projections indicate northward range expansion into the Corn Belt and other northern states, increasing economic risk in historically low-threat regions.