Species Dactylopius confusus (Cockerell, 1893)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Acanthococcus confusus Cockerell, T.D.A. 1893. Records of West Indian Coccidae, I. Journal of the Institute of Jamaica 1: 373 [366].
• Coccus cacti confusus Cockerell, T.D.A. 1896. Notes and descriptions of the new Coccidae collected in Mexico by Prof. C.H.T. Townsend. Bulletin of the United States Department of Agriculture, Division of Entomology, Technical Series 4: 31-39 [34].
• Coccus tomentosus confusus Cockerell, T.D.A. 1898. The lower Sonoran cochineal. Science (Washington, D.C.) 8: 675 [675].
• Coccus tomentosus newsteadi Cockerell, T.D.A. 1898. The lower Sonoran cochineal. Science (Washington, D.C.) 8: 675 [675].
• Pseudococcus tomentosus newsteadi Cockerell, T.D.A. 1899. Rhynchota, Hemiptera – Homoptera. [Aleurodidae and Coccidae]. Biologia Centrali-Americana 2: 1-37 [5].
• Dactylopius greenii Cockerell, T.D.A. 1929. Biological control of the prickly pear. Science (Washington, D.C.) 69: 328-329 [329].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• De Lotto, G. 1974. On the status and identity of the cochineal insects (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Dactylopiidae). Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa 37: 167-193 [180] (Coccus cacti confusus Cockerell, 1896)

Ecological Descriptors

Sap-feeder.

ID Keys

(Gill, R.J., 1993) [148] (female; USA, California); (De Lotto, G., 1974) [173-174] (female; world); (Ferris, G.F., 1955) [86] (female; North America)

GENERAL

Good description and illustration of the adult female given by Ferris, G.F. 1955. Atlas of the Scale Insects of North America, v. 7, the Families Aclerdidae, Asterolecaniidae, Conchaspididae Dactylopiidae and Lacciferidae. iii. Palo Alto, California : Stanford University Press 233 pp., De Lotto, G. 1974. On the status and identity of the cochineal insects (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Dactylopiidae). Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa 37: 167–193, Gill, R.J. 1993. The Scale Insects of California: Part 2. The Minor Families (Homoptera : Coccoidea). Sacramento, California : California Dept of Food & Agriculture. Portillo Martinez, L. 1995. [Hosts of the carmine cochineal (Dactylopius spp.) and considerations for its improvement.] Los hospederos de las cochinillas del carmin (Dactylopius spp.) y algunos consideraciones sobre su aprovechamiento. pp. 308 pp. in Anon. (ed). Conocimiento y aprovechamiento del nopal : 6to. congreso nacional y 4to. congreso internacional, 6-10 de noviembre de 1995 : memorias / compilaciön. Las Agujas, Nextipac, Zapopan, Mexico : Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biolögicas y Agropecuarias, et al. distinguished between the fine cochineal species Dactylopius coccus and a group of wild cochineal species comprising D. austrinus, D. ceylonicus, D. confertus, D. confusus, D. opuntiae, D. salmianus, D. tomentosus and D. zimmermani.

BIOLOGY

The bionomics in Texas was studied and described by Gilreath, M.E. & Smith, J.W. 1987. Bionomics of Dactylopius confusus (Homoptera: Dactylopiidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 80: 768–774; Gilreath, M.E. & Smith, J.W. 1988. Natural enemies of Dactylopius confusus (Homoptera: Dactylopiidae): exclusion and subsequent impact on Opuntia (Cactaceae). Environmental Entomology 17: 730–738. Gill, R.J. 1993. The Scale Insects of California: Part 2. The Minor Families (Homoptera : Coccoidea). Sacramento, California : California Dept of Food & Agriculture indicates that it prefers the flat-padded Platypodium cacti.

STRUCTURE

Colour photograph given by Gill, R.J. 1993. The Scale Insects of California: Part 2. The Minor Families (Homoptera : Coccoidea). Sacramento, California : California Dept of Food & Agriculture.

ECONOMIC AND CONTROL

Introduced into five countries to help suppress Opuntia weeds; became established in Australia (see Dodd, A.P. 1940. The Biological Campaign Against Prickly-Pear. Brisbane, Qld, Australia : Commonwealth Prickly Pear Board 177 pp.); was established for a time in South Africa (Dodd, 1940; Annecke, D.P. & Neser, S. 1977. On the biological control of some cape pest plants. Proceedings of the 2nd National Weed Conference of South Africa. Stellenbosch [1977]: 303–319). Gilreath, M.E. & Smith, J.W. 1988. Natural enemies of Dactylopius confusus (Homoptera: Dactylopiidae): exclusion and subsequent impact on Opuntia (Cactaceae). Environmental Entomology 17: 730–738 proved that natural enemies play a role in regulating population level of this scale on Opuntia cladophylls in Texas, USA. Goeden, R.D. 1978. Part II: Biological control of weeds. In, [Unknown] (ed). Introduced Parasites and Predators of Arthropod Pests and Weeds: A World Review. Washington, D.C. : Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture 545 pp. discussed the use of this species in biological control of Opuntia spp.

Common Name References

Gill, R.J. 1993. The Scale Insects of California: The Minor Families (Homoptera : Coccoidea). Sacramento, California : California Dept of Food & Agriculture Part 2. (California Cochineal Scale)

Naumann, I.D., Ingram, R.J. & Floyd, R. 2002. Australian Insect Common Names, based on CSIRO Handbook of Australian Insect Names. 6th edn 1993. http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/. ((Prickly Pear Cochineal))

History of changes