Corn-pest
Guides
Anatrachyntis rileyi
pink cornworm, pink bud moth, pink scavenger, Pink Scavenger Caterpillar Moth
A small moth in the family Cosmopterigidae, described from the southern United States in 1882 but likely introduced to North America from elsewhere. It has established populations across warm and tropical regions worldwide, including the Americas, Pacific islands, and parts of Africa and Asia. The species is known by multiple common names reflecting its association with corn and its scavenging habits.
Chaetopsis
picture-winged flies, corn silk flies
Chaetopsis is a genus of ulidiid flies (Diptera: Ulidiidae) established by Loew in 1868. The genus includes at least 13 described species distributed in tropical and semi-tropical regions of the Americas. Chaetopsis massyla is the most economically significant species, a major pest of fresh market sweet corn in Florida and tropical regions where larvae feed on developing corn kernels and silk. The genus is characterized by picture-winged morphology typical of Ulidiidae, with patterned wings and robust body form.
Chinavia pensylvanica
Pennsylvania stink bug
Chinavia pensylvanica is a stink bug species in the family Pentatomidae, native to North America. It is one of several Chinavia species that feed on cultivated crops and wild plants. The species has been documented in soybean and corn fields in the Midwestern United States, where it contributes to emerging stink bug pest problems in regional agriculture.
Colaspis crinicornis
Colaspis crinicornis is a leaf beetle species in the family Chrysomelidae, native to the Great Plains of the United States. It was described by Schaeffer in 1933. Historically not considered a pest, its populations have increased substantially in corn and soybean fields in southeastern Nebraska over the past decade. The species has a univoltine life cycle, overwintering as larvae in soil and emerging as adults in summer. Adults feed on above-ground foliage while larvae feed on below-ground plant portions.
Crambidae
Crambid Snout Moths, grass moths
Crambidae is a large family of Lepidoptera comprising over 10,000 species in more than 1,000 genera across 15 subfamilies. The family includes economically significant agricultural pests such as the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), sod webworms (Crambus spp.), and the invasive box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis). Historically treated as a subfamily of Pyralidae, Crambidae was elevated to full family status based on the presence of a praecinctorium—a structure joining two tympanic membranes absent in Pyralidae. Members exhibit diverse morphologies: Crambinae (grass moths) are slender with wings folded tightly around the body at rest, while other subfamilies display bright coloration and rest with wings spread.
Diabrotica
cucumber beetles, corn rootworms
Diabrotica is a large, widespread genus of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) comprising approximately 400 species native to the Americas. The genus includes several economically significant agricultural pests, particularly species affecting corn, cucurbits, and other crops. Three informal species groups are recognized—fucata (354 species, multivoltine), virgifera (24 species, univoltine), and signifera (11 species, univoltine)—based on life history traits rather than molecular phylogeny. The genus exhibits a unique evolutionary relationship with cucurbitacin-producing plants, with beetles attracted to these bitter, toxic compounds for chemical defense.
Diabrotica barberi
northern corn rootworm
Diabrotica barberi, the northern corn rootworm, is a chrysomelid beetle native to North America and a major pest of corn (Zea mays). Larvae feed on corn roots, causing significant economic damage, while adults feed on corn silks, pollen, and leaves. Unlike the western corn rootworm, D. barberi has not developed resistance to Bt traits in Iowa as of 2019-2020 surveys. The species exhibits extended diapause in some populations, with eggs remaining dormant for multiple years before hatching. Research indicates its flight behavior differs from D. virgifera, with shorter but more frequent flights and less sustained long-distance movement.
Diabrotica undecimpunctata
spotted cucumber beetle, southern corn rootworm, western cucumber beetle, western spotted cucumber beetle
Diabrotica undecimpunctata is a leaf beetle native to North America and a major agricultural pest. Adults are greenish-yellow with twelve black spots on the elytra. The species exhibits broad polyphagy, feeding on over 200 plant species across approximately 50 families. Three subspecies are recognized, with D. u. howardi (eastern) and D. u. undecimpunctata (western) being the most significant agriculturally. The species vectors bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila) and Pantoea ananatis, contributing to disease spread in cucurbits and corn.
Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi
Eastern Spotted Cucumber Beetle, Southern Corn Rootworm
Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi, the eastern subspecies of the spotted cucumber beetle, is a polyphagous agricultural pest native to North America. It is distinguished from the western subspecies (D. u. undecimpunctata) by geographic range, occurring east of the Rocky Mountains. The species completes one to three generations annually depending on latitude, with adults overwintering in mild climates and spreading northward seasonally. Both larval and adult stages cause economically significant damage to multiple crops.
Diatraea crambidoides
southern cornstalk borer moth, southern corn stalk borer
Diatraea crambidoides is a moth in the family Crambidae whose larvae are significant agricultural pests of corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. The species was described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1880 and occurs in eastern North America from Alabama and northern Florida to Ohio and Maryland. Adults are straw-colored to dull white with wingspans of 15–40 mm. The species has two generations per year, with larvae boring into stalks and damaging internodes, reducing crop yield. It has been evaluated as a target for biological control using the parasitoid wasp Aprostocetus esurus.
Eoreuma loftini
Mexican rice borer, Mexican Rice-borer Moth
Eoreuma loftini, the Mexican rice borer, is a small moth in the family Crambidae described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1917. It is a significant agricultural pest of sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum, and lemongrass in the southern United States and Mexico. The species is invasive in the U.S. and is expanding its range northward at approximately 15 miles per year, having spread from Texas into Louisiana and Florida since 1980. Larval feeding inside plant stems causes characteristic damage including 'deadhearting' and 'whiteheading' in rice, and stem rot in lemongrass, resulting in substantial yield losses.
Euetheola rugiceps
Sugarcane Beetle
Euetheola rugiceps, commonly known as the sugarcane beetle, is a scarab beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is a sporadic but serious pest of corn in parts of Texas, where damage to young plants by overwintered adults can result in plant death, stunting, or lodging. The species has one generation per year, with adults emerging from soil in spring and late summer to early fall. It is also known to damage sugarcane and other grass crops. The beetle is distributed across the eastern and central United States.
Euxesta annonae
cornsilk fly
Euxesta annonae is a picture-winged fly in the family Ulidiidae, one of four 'cornsilk fly' species documented as pests of sweet corn in Florida. The species has a broad distribution spanning from Florida to Hawaii. Like other cornsilk flies, it exhibits distinctive wing patterning and wing-flapping behavior.
Glischrochilus quadrisignatus
Four-spotted Sap Beetle, Four-spotted Fungus Beetle, Beer Bug, Picnic Beetle
Glischrochilus quadrisignatus is a sap-feeding beetle in the family Nitidulidae, commonly known as the four-spotted sap beetle or picnic beetle. It is native to North America and has been introduced to parts of Europe including Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Austria. The species is strongly attracted to fermenting plant fluids, overripe fruits, and fungal growths, and is a notable pest of sweet corn and other crops. It has been studied for its complex ecological interactions, including its role as a mortality factor for European corn borer larvae and its potential as a biological control agent.
Maladera formosae
Asiatic garden beetle
Maladera formosae, the Asiatic garden beetle, is an invasive scarab beetle native to East Asia that was introduced to North America in 1921. It has become a significant agricultural pest, particularly in the Great Lakes region where it damages field corn, soybeans, and commercial mint. The species exhibits a univoltine life cycle with soil-dwelling larvae that feed on plant roots and nocturnal adults that consume foliage and flowers. Both life stages cause economically important damage, with larvae responsible for early-season crop losses and adults defoliating ornamental and crop plants.
Melanotus
click beetles (insect genus), dark-spored mushrooms (fungal genus)
Melanotus is a genus of click beetles (family Elateridae) comprising approximately 800 described species distributed worldwide. The genus includes several economically significant agricultural pests, particularly wireworm species whose larvae damage crop roots and tubers. Research has identified sex pheromones for some species, enabling development of monitoring and management tools. The genus name Melanotus is also applied to a fungal genus in Strophariaceae, but this record addresses the beetle genus.
Melanotus communis
corn wireworm
Melanotus communis is a click beetle species whose larvae, known as corn wireworms, are significant agricultural pests in North America. The species is currently treated as a species complex due to unresolved taxonomic boundaries with closely related forms. Larvae feed on germinating seeds and roots of corn, potatoes, and other crops, causing substantial economic damage. Research has focused on developing biological control methods using entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi, as well as pheromone-based monitoring systems.
Myochrous
Myochrous is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae, containing over 50 described species distributed across North, Central, and South America. The generic name derives from Ancient Greek words meaning 'mouse' and 'color'. Several species are agricultural pests, including Myochrous denticollis (southern corn leaf beetle), Myochrous melancholicus (banana pest), and Myochrous armatus (emerging soybean pest in Brazil). The genus was formerly placed in tribe Adoxini but is now classified in Eumolpini.
Mythimna
Armyworm moths
Mythimna is a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae, commonly known as armyworm moths. Several species are significant agricultural pests, with larvae that feed on cereal crops, corn, rice, and other grasses. The genus has a global distribution spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australasia. Notable species include M. unipuncta (true armyworm), M. separata (Oriental armyworm), and M. loreyi, all of which cause economic damage to major food crops. Adult moths have been documented as nocturnal pollinators of apple flowers and other crops.
Sphenophorus callosus
Southern Corn Billbug
Sphenophorus callosus, commonly known as the southern corn billbug, is a weevil species in the family Dryophthoridae (formerly placed in Curculionidae) that is a significant agricultural pest of corn in eastern North Carolina. Historically widespread and damaging throughout the southeastern United States, its impact has become regionally restricted due to modern management practices, particularly insecticidal seed treatments. The species is univoltine with a narrow host range, reproducing primarily on corn and yellow nutsedge.
Sphenophorus coesifrons
oblite billbug
Sphenophorus coesifrons, commonly known as the oblite billbug, is a small weevil species in the family Dryophthoridae. It is distributed across North America from Maryland and Wisconsin south to the Gulf Coast and Arizona. The species has been documented as a pest of corn along the Gulf Coast, where it was considered extremely destructive to first and second plantings. It has also been reared on timothy in Illinois and Michigan. The species closely resembles the bluegrass billbug (Sphenophorus parvulus) but can be distinguished by morphological differences in the beak.
Sphenophorus maidis
Maize Billbug
Sphenophorus maidis, commonly known as the maize billbug, is a weevil species in the family Curculionidae. It is found in North America and is associated with maize (corn) as a host plant. The species belongs to a genus of billbugs that are significant agricultural pests, with larvae that bore into plant stems and roots causing substantial damage to crops.
Stenolophus
Seedcorn Beetles
Stenolophus is a large genus of ground beetles in the family Carabidae, comprising over 190 described species distributed across the Palearctic, Nearctic, Near East, and North Africa. Commonly known as seedcorn beetles, several species are significant agricultural pests of corn and other crops. The genus includes both univoltine and potentially multivoltine species depending on geographic location.
Striacosta
western bean cutworm (for sole species S. albicosta)
Striacosta is a monotypic genus of moths in the family Noctuidae, established by Lafontaine in 2004. The sole species, Striacosta albicosta (western bean cutworm), is an agricultural pest native to North America. The species underwent significant range expansion from the western Great Plains to eastern North America beginning in 1999. Larvae are serious pests of corn and dry bean crops, with documented resistance to Cry1F Bt protein.
Thyanta custator accerra
Redshouldered stink bug, Red-shouldered stink bug
Thyanta custator accerra is a subspecies of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae, commonly known as the redshouldered stink bug. It is an agricultural pest of increasing concern in soybean and corn production across the Midwestern United States. Adults are recognized by a distinctive reddish band across the thorax-abdomen junction. The species feeds on developing fruits and seeds using piercing-sucking mouthparts, causing yield loss and quality reduction in affected crops.
Toxomerus politus
maize calligrapher
Toxomerus politus, commonly known as the maize calligrapher, is a small hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) measuring 8–9 mm. The species is native to North America but has been introduced and is expanding its distribution across Central and South America, with recent records from Chile. Adults and larvae are associated with corn (Zea mays), feeding on pollen. The species has been studied for its male genitalia morphology and sperm ultrastructure using advanced microscopy techniques.