The following photos were taken during a routine Tree Conservatory work last December 18, 2013. Can anyone out there ID these organisms? or even advise us if they are known to be too much of an herbivore (pest-like)?
The first set below shows conical leaf remains from mabolo or kamagong (Diospyros blancoi). The herbivore was no longer present at the time but may have a very species-specific diet. Only kamagong leaves were munched in spite of having several saplings of Shorea almon nearby.
The next set of photos features a sapling of Shorea guijo and its riddled leaves. Fortunately, it seems that the tree is well able to cope with the demand. Again, species-specificity seems to be in evidence since nearby saplings were un-munched.
Such species-specific interaction makes me inclined to think of butterflies and moth larvae but since I am not an entomologist, I cannot be certain. Can anyone out there shed light on this matter?
Tungtong River Conservation Project 