Mangroves reduced to twigs by caterpillars

NAVI MUMBAI: Many healthy and green mangroves along the Thane creek and also near Kharghar and Kamothe areas are suddenly looking dry and brown, devoid of all their leaves, say residents.
The leaves are being eaten up by a parasitic moth, Hyblaea puera, better known as the ‘teak defoliator’, which makes the mangroves look like dried twigs.
While environmentalists say that the affected mangrove species (Avicennia marina) is not really in any danger since the leaves will grow back in two to three months, it is alarming that the insects chose only the mangroves as its host.
D Stalin of NGO Vanashakti said that Hyblae puera has been targeting the green mangroves as they are found in abundance in the Mumbai and suburban regions. “It does appear worrisome to see the brown leafless condition of the mangroves. However, the mangroves will regrow their leaves in a span of over two months, after the caterpillars become moths,” he said. The caterpillar also targets teak tree leaves in certain regions.
Reportedly, little research has been done on this particular insect species but their presence is being seen in large numbers in the city now. “All the brown coloured moths that you see hovering around street lights are from this species,’’ said a city-based naturalist.