What Organisms Eat the Mahogany Tree?

Mahogany Webworm

• The mahogany webworm (Macalla thyrsisalis) is the larval form of a moth that feeds on mahogany leaves often to the point of defoliation. This caterpillar is yellow with three black stripes that alternate with two black bands across its body. The webworm builds webbing throughout the foliage and feeds primarily on young leaves. Damage from this organism is typically limited to the spring, with parasitic wasps and flies providing natural control of the pest.

Mahogany Shoot Borer

• The mahogany shoot borer (Hypsipyla grandella) gains its name from the organism's tendency to bore into the tree's twigs and, feeding on wood and creating tunnels. This damage structurally weakens the tree making it more susceptible to weather damage and other pests and diseases. In severe cases, the branches, twigs and foliage are deprived of proper water and nutrition, stressing the tree to the point of death.

Mahogany Tar Spot

• Mahogany tar spot is a microorganism that produces raised, black spots on the leaves. The spots initially appear light green before turning yellow and then brown or tan with a dark border around the spot as the tissue of the leaf dies. The spots grow together, causing the entire leaf to die and fall from the tree. A gray, fuzzy growth on the leaf's underside is also indicative of this organism.

Mahogany Canker

• Neonectria canker caused by the Neonectria galligena fungus displays on the bark, producing red-fruiting bodies clustered atop the bark tissue. The trunk's bottom also show symptoms of this disease as it darkens and develops a selection of rough bark with a sticky ooze of sap seeping from the tree. Twigs and branches are also likely to be affected and removal of sections of bark from those areas will show a chocolate-brown discoloration of the sapwood.