Hyblaea puera Cramer, 1777

Severe defoliation impacts mangrove forests because it affects plant performance and can alter the structure and functioning of the forest (Anderson and Lee, 1995; Fernandes et al., 2009), especially if the outbreaks of caterpillars are recurrent. Infestations can modify the debris chain, resulting in changes in the flow of energy and matter (Anderson and Lee, 1995; Menezes and Mehlig, 2005). However, intense leaf herbivory generates easily degradable organic material, such as leaf debris and feces, providing greater supply of nutrients to neighboring aquatic ecosystems for a short period of time (Mehlig and Menezes, 2005; Fernandes et al., 2009). This nutrient enrichment can increase secondary production in the short term (Menezes and Mehlig, 2005). (BERNINI & LAGE-PINTO, 2021). The moth infestation converts Avicennia leaves into particulate organic matter over a short period of time, favoring nutrient cycling in the mangroves and providing a nutrient supply for neighboring aquatic systems. This can have short-term impacts, increasing secondary production and local fish catches. Nevertheless, overall negative impacts on mangrove health are expected, especially if new outbreaks occur in short periods of time. (FARACO et al., 2019).