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| (Instars) Cactus Coreid, Chelinidea vittiger |
Cactus coreid are a type of insect found throughout
most of North America, and in parts of Australia as
biological control agents. They rely on prickly pear cact
i and are often considered pests. These highly host specific insects lay their eggs on the underside of
Opuntia species, and the nymphs reside upon the same plant for their entire life. One species in particular,
Chelinidea vittigera, was noted to starve rather than find a new host plant upon the destruction of its original host plant. On the other hand, they prefer plants
damaged by fire for mating, feeding, and resting, but not as oviposition sites. The reasoning is contributed to the presence of protective spines on undamaged cacti compared to the burned cactus.
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