Skeletonizer
Guides
Caliroa liturata
Caliroa liturata is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. The larvae are known to feed on oak leaves, producing a distinctive skeletonizing damage pattern. Adults are small, dark-colored sawflies. The species has been documented in North America, though detailed natural history information remains limited.
Caliroa lorata
Caliroa lorata is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. The genus Caliroa contains species commonly known as oak-skeletonizers due to their distinctive larval feeding behavior on oak leaves. Larvae feed on the undersides of leaves, consuming tissue between the veins while leaving the upper epidermis and veins intact, creating a skeletonized appearance. The species is part of a group of sawflies that exhibit host plant specialization, primarily associated with oaks (Quercus species).
Caliroa nyssae
tupelo sawfly, black gum sawfly
Caliroa nyssae is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae that feeds on Nyssa sylvatica (black tupelo or black gum). The larvae skeletonize leaves, leaving a characteristic lace-like pattern of veins. This species is part of a genus of oak-skeletonizing sawflies, though C. nyssae has specialized on tupelo rather than oak. Adults are small, dark-colored sawflies with the typical broad waist characteristic of suborder Symphyta, distinguishing them from the narrow-waisted wasps in suborder Apocrita.
Caliroa quercuscoccinae
Oak-skeletonizing sawfly
Caliroa quercuscoccinae is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae. The larvae are known for skeletonizing oak leaves, feeding on the tissue between the leaf veins while leaving the veins intact. This feeding pattern creates a distinctive lace-like appearance on damaged foliage. The species is part of a genus whose larvae are commonly referred to as slug sawflies due to their slimy, slug-like appearance and locomotion.
Galeruca rudis
Galeruca rudis is a skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. The species is distributed across western North America, from California and New Mexico north to Yukon and British Columbia. It has been recorded in association with various lupine species (Lupinus spp.), which serve as host plants. The species was first described by LeConte in 1857.
Homaledra sabalella
Palm Leaf Skeletonizer Moth
Homaledra sabalella, commonly known as the palm leaf skeletonizer moth, is a small moth in the family Pterolonchidae. The species has undergone multiple taxonomic reclassifications, moving from Coleophoridae to Batrachedridae before its current placement. It is found in the southeastern United States and Caribbean islands. The larvae are specialized feeders on palm fronds.
Monocesta
larger elm leaf beetle
Monocesta is a genus of skeletonizing leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae. The genus contains at least three described species, with Monocesta coryli being the most well-known and commonly encountered in eastern North America. These beetles are characterized by their feeding behavior that removes soft leaf tissue between veins, creating a distinctive skeletonized appearance on host leaves. The genus is primarily associated with elm trees and related woodland vegetation.
Ophraella notulata
Marsh Elder Leaf Beetle
Ophraella notulata is a Nearctic skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, found in Gulf Coast states of the United States and Mexico. It was previously described as O. integra (LeConte), now synonymized with O. notulata (Fabricius). The species is specialized on host plants in the Asteraceae family, primarily Iva frutescens (marsh elder), with documented ability to utilize Ambrosia artemisiifolia (ragweed) as an alternative host. Research has demonstrated complex transgenerational effects of host plant on offspring fitness and behavior.
Ophraella sexvittata
Six-lined Goldenrod Leaf Beetle
Ophraella sexvittata is a skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is one of 13 recognized species in the Nearctic genus Ophraella. The species is a specialist herbivore associated with goldenrods (Solidago spp.) in the southeastern United States.
Popillia japonica
Japanese Beetle
Popillia japonica is a scarab beetle native to Japan that has become one of the most destructive invasive pests in North America since its accidental introduction to New Jersey in 1916. Adults feed on foliage, flowers, and fruits of over 300 plant species, while larvae (grubs) damage roots of turf grasses and other plants. The species has established populations throughout the eastern United States and Canada, with recent expansions into the Midwest and detections in western states. Climate modeling predicts continued northward range expansion.
Psorosina hammondi
Appleleaf Skeletonizer
Psorosina hammondi is a pyralid moth in the subfamily Phycitinae, commonly known as the Appleleaf Skeletonizer. The species was described by Riley in 1872 and is notable for its specialized larval feeding behavior on hawthorn (Crataegus) leaves, producing characteristic skeletonizing damage. Despite its distinctive common name and host association, detailed biological information remains limited in accessible literature.