What's eating my calathea warscewiczii jungle velvet?

Calathea Warscewiczii 'Jungle Velvet' (Goeppertia warscewiczii), with its velvety dark leaves and purple undersides, is highly susceptible to spider mites, which thrive in the dry conditions this plant dislikes most. Mealybugs also target the dense foliage. The velvety leaf texture can harbour pests unseen — inspect both surfaces closely every week.

Pale stippling dulls the characteristic velvet texture; fine webbing on the purple underside; severe infestations cause full leaf browning Raise humidity to 65%+, shower foliage thoroughly, and apply insecticidal soap or neem oil spray to both leaf sides weekly for a month

White cottony patches hidden in leaf axils and along petioles; honeydew drips down onto lower leaves; growth stalls Remove with alcohol-dipped cotton swab for each visible colony, then spray entire plant with diluted neem oil; repeat every 7 days

Silvery scarring and bronze streaking on new growth; distorted emerging leaves; tiny black frass specks on undersides Prune heavily affected leaves, apply spinosad or insecticidal soap spray weekly, and use blue sticky traps to monitor adult populations