Cactus Moth

Scientific name: Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg)

Common names: Cactus moth, prickly pear moth

Native To: South America

Date of U.S. Introduction: 1989

Images: Invasive.org and Google

Means of Introduction: Imported to the Caribbean to control prickly pear cacti; arrived in the U.S. naturally or in cargo imported from the Caribbean

Impact: Feeds on prickly pear cacti (species in the genus Opuntia)

Current U.S. Distribution:

• National Agricultural Pest Information System - Pest Tracker - Reported Status
• Spread of Cactus Moth in the Continental U.S.

Quarantine: Current USDA Cactoblastis cactorum Host Regulations and Potential Changes

Management Plans: Animals

Selected Internet Resources:

• Federal Government
• State Government
• University/Academic
• International
• Organizations

Sticking It to the South American Cactus Moth (Sep 2006)
USDA. Agricultural Research Service.
Photographs; Introduction History; Imapcts; Distribution; Research

Cactoblastis cactorum Article Citation Search - AGRICOLA Database
USDA. National Agricultural Library.
Research; Special Note: NAL Catalog Search (resources)

Cactus Moth (Cactoblastis cactorum)
USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Controls

The Cactus Moth: Friend Turned Foe (CPHST Newsletter, Jan 2005) (PDF | 718 KB)
USDA. APHIS. Center for Plant Health Science and Technology.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Controls

Cactus Moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) Planning Meeting (PDF | 59.6 MB) and Cactus Moth Progress (Mar 5, 2004)
USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.
Published by: USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine.
Dec 9 - 10, 2003 in Miami, Florida
Co-sponsors: U.S. Geological Survey and USDA, Agriculture Research Service
In cooperation with the Interagency Committee on Invasive Terrestrial Animals and Pathogens (ITAP)

NISC Agencies Team Up to Control the Spread of Cactus Moth (PDF | 1,925 KB)
National Invasive Species Council. (Jul 19, 2005)

Cactoblastis cactorum - Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory
Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution

State Government

Cactus Moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) (PDF | 356 KB)
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Legal Aspects

Cactus Moth Poses New Invasive Species Threat to Texas Biodiversity
Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution

Cactus Moth - Featured Creatures
University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Controls; Special Note: References

Cactus Moth
University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Controls

Pest Alert: Cactus Moth
Louisiana State University. Research and Extension.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle

The Cactus Moth: An Invading Pest (Oct 2007; PDF | 229 KB)
Mississippi State University. Geosystems Research Institute.
Photographs; Impacts; Life Cycle; Special Note: Cactus Moth Detection and Monitoring Network (includes Tracking the Cactus Moth, Cactoblastis cactorum Berg., as it flies and eats its way westward in the U.S. [News of the Lepidopterists' Society, Spring 2004 - Volume 46, Number 1 (written by Federal and University scientists)] (PDF | 343 KB)

Cactus Moth
University of Tennessee. Institute of Agriculture.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Life Cycle; Distribution

Biology, History, Threat, Surveillance and Control of the Cactus Moth, Cactoblastis cactorum (Jun 2004; PDF | 1.24 MB)
UN. Food and Agriculture Organization; International Atomic Energy Agency. Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Controls

Cactoblastis cactorum (DOC | 35 KB)
European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization.
Identification/Description; Impacts; Dispersion

IAS Toolkit Case Study - Spread of a Biological Control Agent, Cactoblastis cactorum, in the Caribbean Basin
Global Invasive Species Programme.
Controls

Mitigating the Threat of Cactoblastis cactorum to Agriculture and Ecological Systems using SIT
International Atomic Energy Agency. Technical Cooperation Programme.
Impacts; Distribution; Controls

The Possible Expansion of the Cactus Moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, in the USA and Mexico [VIII Trilateral Committee Meeting - Invasive Species as a Trilateral Challenge, Albuquerque, New Mexico (Apr 29, 2003)] (scroll to access power point presentation)
Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management.
Special Note: Powerpoint Presentation; requires PowerPoint Viewer

Cactoblastis cactorum (insect) - ISSG Global Invasive Species Database
World Conservation Union. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Controls

Cactoblastis cactorum
Discover Life.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Controls

Cactus Moth
Don't Move Firewood.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution

Cactoblastis Cactorum in North America: Proceedings of a workshop for assessment and planning - 2000 [Florida Entomologist Journal, Dec 2001 (vol. 84, no. 4, pages 465-751)]
Florida Entomological Society.
Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Dispersion; Controls; Research

Expanding Geographical Range of Cactoblastis Cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in North America [Florida Entomologist Journal, Sep 2002 (vol. 85, No. 3, pp 527-529)] (PDF | 576 KB)
Florida Entomological Society.
Research

Cactus Moth
Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Controls

Preliminary assessment of the potential impacts and risks of the invasive cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum Berg, in the U.S. and Mexico (Apr 25, 2005; PDF | 744 KB)
International Atomic Energy Agency.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Controls

Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) 1885
North American Plant Protection Organization. Phytosanitary Alert System.
Taxonomy; Photographs; Impacts; Distribution

Cactoblastis cactorum
TexasInvasives.org.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls; Legal Aspects