Since its arrival in the Florida Keys in 1989, this invasive species has become a serious threat to the diversity and abundance of Opuntia cactus in North America. The spread of this moth raises concerns about harm to rare opuntioid species (prickly pear and related cacti), the endangerment of wild opuntioids in the southwestern United States and Mexico and the consequent effects on entire desert ecosystems and economic hardship for communities in Mexico that cultivate and sell Opuntia. This 5-page fact sheet was written by D. H. Habeck, F. D. Bennett, and Christine Miller, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, September 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in213
Tag: Cactus Pest Insects
EENY459/IN827 Hypogeococcus pungens Granara de Willink (Insecta: Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), a Mealybug
EENY-459, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Amanda Hodges and Greg Hodges, is part of the Featured Creatures collection. It describes this pink-colored mealybug that is sometimes confused with the pink hibiscus mealybug — synonymy, distribution, identification characteristics, life cycle, hosts, economic importance, and management. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2009.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN827