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Cylindropuntia fulgida (Chain-fruit cholla)
Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Core Eudicots
> Order: Caryophyllales >
Familty: Cactaceae > Genus:
Cylindropuntia
Native to southwestern USA and northern Mexico.
Naturalised in southern Africa where it is a declared
Category 1 invasive plant. It is under complete
biological control by a cladode sucking mealiebug.
In South Africa it was previously incorrectly named Opuntia rosea.
Ecological interactions in southern Africa
Herbivores
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Dactylopius tomentosus (Hemiptera:
Dactylopiidae). A cladode sucking cochineal bug. The 'imbricata'
biotype was released in South Africa in 1970 against
Cylindropuntia imbricata
and although it did also become established on
Cylindropuntia fulgida, it caused only trivial damage to
plants. The 'cholla' biotype was released in 2008 on
Cylindropuntia fulgida and caused extensive damage (Klein
2011).
Links
Publications
-
Klein H. 2011. A
catalogue of the insects, mites and
pathogens that have been used or
rejected, or are under consideration,
for the biological control of invasive
alien plants in South Africa. African
Entomology 19(2): 515-549.
Text by Hamish Robertson |
