Cactoblastis cactorum, the cactus moth, South American cactus moth or nopal moth, is native to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil. It is one of five species in the genus Cactoblastis that inhabit South America, where many parasitoids and pathogens control the expansion of the moths' population. This species has been introduced into many areas outside its natural range, including Australia, the Caribbean, and South Africa. In some locations, it has spread uncontrollably and was consequently classified an invasive species. However, in other places such as Australia, it has gained favor for its role in the biological control of cacti from the genus Opuntia, such as prickly pear.
Opuntia phaeacantha is a species of prickly pear cactus known by the common names tulip prickly pear and desert prickly pear found across the southwestern United States, lower Great Plains, and northern Mexico. The plant forms dense but localized thickets. Several varieties of this particular species occur, and it also hybridizes easily with other prickly pears, making identification sometimes tricky.
Laniifera is a genus of snout moths in the subfamily Spilomelinae of the family Crambidae. The genus was erected by George Hampson in 1899 with Pachynoa cycladesDruce, 1895 as type species.
Opuntia, commonly called prickly pear, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as tuna (fruit), sabra, nopal from the Nahuatl word nōpalli for the pads, or nostle, from the Nahuatl word nōchtli for the fruit; or paddle cactus. The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves. The most common culinary species is the Indian fig opuntia.
Melitara dentata, the North American cactus moth, is a moth of the family Pyralidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1876. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread from Alberta to southern Arizona and central Texas. It is an introduced species in Hawaii.
Opuntia polyacantha is a common species of cactus known by the common names plains pricklypear, hairspine cactus, panhandle pricklypear, and starvation pricklypear. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in Western Canada, the Great Plains, the central and Western United States, and Chihuahua in northern Mexico.
Cactoblastis doddi is a species of snout moth in the genus Cactoblastis. It was described by Carl Heinrich in 1939 and is known from Argentina, along the eastern edge and foothills of the Andes from Mendoza to the northern boundary Argentina, and probably into southern Bolivia.
Melitara texana is a species of snout moth in the genus Melitara. It was described by Herbert H. Neunzig in 1997 and is found in southern Texas and adjacent Mexico.
Melitara junctolineella is a species of snout moth in the genus Melitara. It was described by George Duryea Hulst in 1900. It is found in southern Texas and Mexico. The species has been introduced in Australia as a biological control agent of Opuntia stricta.
Melitara subumbrella is a species of snout moth in the genus Melitara. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1925. It is widespread in western North America, from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan to southern Arizona, central Texas, southern New Mexico and south-eastern California.
Ozamia clarefacta is a species of snout moth in the genus Ozamia. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1919. It is found in Texas and Mexico
Ozamia lucidalis is a species of snout moth in the genus Ozamia. It was described by Francis Walker in 1863. It is found on Hispaniola and Jamaica, as well as Cuba and in Mexico, on the Florida Keys and Texas.
Ozamia immorella is a species of snout moth in the genus Ozamia. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1913. It is found in Mexico.
Tucumania porrecta is a species of snout moth in the genus Tucumania. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1925. It is found in Uruguay.
Tucumania tapiacola is a species of snout moth in the genus Tucumania. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1925. It is found in Argentina and has been introduced to Australia and South Africa.
Zophodia nephelepasa is a species of snout moth in the genus Zophodia. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1919. It is found in Mexico.
Dicymolomia julianalis, or Julia's dicymolomia moth, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is found in most of eastern North America and on Cuba.
Dactylopius is a genus of insect in the superfamily Coccoidea, the scale insects. It is the only genus in the family Dactylopiidae. These insects are known commonly as cochineals, a name that also specifically refers to the best-known species, the cochineal. The cochineal is an insect of economic and historical importance as a main source of the red dye carmine. It has reportedly been used for this purpose in the Americas since the 10th century. Genus Dactylopius is also important because several species have been used as agents of biological pest control, and because several are known as invasive species.
Opuntia macrorhiza is a common and widespread species of cactus with the common names plains prickly pear or twistspine pricklypear or Western pricklypear. It is found throughout the Great Plains of the United States, from Texas to Minnesota, as well as in the desert and Rocky Mountain states from Arizona to Idaho, with sporadic populations in the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. It is also reported from northern Mexico, in the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Durango, Tamaulipas, and San Luís Potosí. The species is cultivated as an ornamental in other locations.
Dicymolomia opuntialis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from California.
