What’s eating my fatsia?

Last week I complained about the massive number of spider webs popping up in the garden, especially on and around my succulents. But as annoying as these webs are, spiders are very beneficial and don’t eat plants.

The same can’t be said about the rapscallions that have been devouring my variegated fatsia (Fatsia japonica ‘Variegata’).

 

The first time I noticed it, the leaves had just a few holes here and there. But within a couple of days, the holes kept getting larger and more numerous.

 

 

Before I knew it, entire leaves were stripped down to the veins. What astounded me was the speed with which this all happened.

 

This is what the center of the plant looks like now. All the new growth has been completely devoured. I have no idea how long it will take for my fatsia to recover, if it ever does.

 

Does anybody have any idea what kind of pest could have caused this? My best guess is some kind of caterpillar. I went out after dark one evening but couldn’t find anything. Curiously enough, none of the plants in the vicinity show any kind of damage.