diff --git a/code/IO.f90 b/code/IO.f90
index 6a9408d0c..4f293b045 100644
--- a/code/IO.f90
+++ b/code/IO.f90
@@ -1447,11 +1447,9 @@ subroutine IO_error(error_ID,el,ip,g,ext_msg)
 !--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ! material error messages and related messages in mesh
  case (150_pInt)
-   msg = 'crystallite index out of bounds'
+   msg = 'index out of bounds'
  case (151_pInt)
-   msg = 'phase index out of bounds'
- case (152_pInt)
-   msg = 'texture index out of bounds'
+   msg = 'microstructure has no constituents'
  case (153_pInt)
    msg = 'sum of phase fractions differs from 1'
  case (154_pInt)
diff --git a/code/material.f90 b/code/material.f90
index 05106352c..374e30761 100644
--- a/code/material.f90
+++ b/code/material.f90
@@ -192,13 +192,15 @@ subroutine material_init
  do m = 1_pInt,material_Nmicrostructure
    if (microstructure_crystallite(m) < 1_pInt .or. &
        microstructure_crystallite(m) > material_Ncrystallite) & 
-         call IO_error(150_pInt,m)
+         call IO_error(150_pInt,m,ext_msg='crystallite')
    if (minval(microstructure_phase(1:microstructure_Nconstituents(m),m)) < 1_pInt .or. &
        maxval(microstructure_phase(1:microstructure_Nconstituents(m),m)) > material_Nphase) &
-         call IO_error(151_pInt,m)
+         call IO_error(150_pInt,m,ext_msg='phase')
    if (minval(microstructure_texture(1:microstructure_Nconstituents(m),m)) < 1_pInt .or. &
        maxval(microstructure_texture(1:microstructure_Nconstituents(m),m)) > material_Ntexture) &
-         call IO_error(152_pInt,m)
+         call IO_error(150_pInt,m,ext_msg='texture')
+   if (microstructure_Nconstituents(m) < 1_pInt) & 
+         call IO_error(151_pInt,m)
 !   if (abs(sum(microstructure_fraction(:,m)) - 1.0_pReal) >= 1.0e-6_pReal) then                     ! have ppm precision in fractions
 !     if (iand(myDebug,debug_levelExtensive) /= 0_pInt) then
 !         write(6,'(a,1x,f12.9)') ' sum of microstructure fraction = ',sum(microstructure_fraction(:,m))