Teak skeletonizer
Caterpillars that eat only the green tissue of teak leaves, leaving a lacy network of veins behind, later in the season than the teak defoliator.
- Pest
- Caterpillar (Eutectona machaeralis)
- Feeds on
- Green leaf tissue between the veins, mainly older leaves
- Timing
- Later in the season than the teak defoliator
- Severity
- Usually less damaging than the defoliator
Overview
The teak skeletonizer, Eutectona machaeralis, is a moth whose caterpillars feed on the green tissue of teak leaves while leaving the network of veins intact — giving affected leaves a distinctive lacy, skeletonised look, which is where the pest gets its name.
It usually feeds later in the growing season than the more damaging teak defoliator, on older leaves that would soon drop naturally in any case, so it is generally considered the lesser of the two major teak pests. Repeated heavy skeletonizing in years when it coincides with a defoliator outbreak, however, compounds the overall loss of growth and seed production.
How to identify it
- Leaves show a lacy, skeletonised pattern — the green tissue eaten away but the network of veins left standing.
- Damage appears later in the season than teak defoliator feeding, mostly on older leaves close to natural leaf fall.
- Often seen in the same years and blocks as teak defoliator activity, though the two are distinct pests.
What causes it and when
- The moth Eutectona machaeralis, active later in the growing season than the teak defoliator.
- Feeding on leaves that would drop naturally soon anyway is the main reason this pest causes less overall damage.
Organic and biological control
- The same parasitoid and predator conservation used against the teak defoliator also helps control the skeletonizer — the two pests are usually managed together, not separately.
- Monitor plantations for outbreak activity through the second half of the growing season, not just early on.
Chemical control
- Rarely justifies separate chemical treatment given its late-season, lower-impact feeding on leaves close to natural fall.
- Treat only where it compounds a genuine, damaging teak defoliator outbreak on high-value young plantings, using the same CIB&RC-registered contact insecticide.
- Confirm the current recommended product with your state forest department or nearest KVK.
Crops most at risk
Where this problem is called out in our crop guides — open a crop for the full package of practices.
Frequently asked questions
My teak leaves look lacy, with just the veins left. Is this serious?
This is teak skeletonizer (Eutectona machaeralis) damage, caused by caterpillars eating the green tissue between the veins. It usually happens late in the season on older leaves that would soon drop naturally anyway, so it is generally less serious than the earlier-season teak defoliator. It rarely needs separate chemical treatment unless it coincides with a genuine defoliator outbreak on young, high-value trees.
Symptoms and control measures follow ICAR, KVK and state agricultural-university package-of-practices; any named chemical is a registered use. Always read the product label and confirm the dose for your crop and zone. editorial policy.