| the biology of dactylopius tomentosus (hemiptera: dactylopiidae). | dactylopius tomentosus (lamarck) (hemiptera: dactylopiidae) is a cochineal insect whose host range is restricted to cylindropuntia species (caryophyllales: cactaceae). this insect has been utilized successfully for biological control of cylindropuntia imbricata (haw.) f.m. knuth in australia and south africa. despite this, its biology has not been studied previously, probably due to the widely held belief that the biology of all dactylopius species is similar. this study investigated the life cy ... | 2009 | 19203403 |
| distinguishing suitable biotypes of dactylopius tomentosus (hemiptera: dactylopiidae) for biological control of cylindropuntia fulgida var. fulgida (caryophyllales: cactaceae) in south africa. | cylindropuntia fulgida (engelmann) f.m. knuth var. fulgida (engelmann) f.m. knuth (cff) (caryophyllales: cactaceae) is native to mexico and arizona and was introduced into south africa for ornamental purposes. it subsequently became highly invasive, necessitating control. the cochineal insect, dactylopius tomentosus (lamarck) (hemiptera: dactylopiidae), was selected as a potential biological control agent based on its restricted host range among cylindropuntia species and previous success in con ... | 2009 | 19302723 |
| determination of biotypes of dactylopius tomentosus (hemiptera: dactylopiidae) and insights into the taxonomic relationships of their hosts, cylindropuntia spp. | host specialization to form biotypes is common among phytophagous insects, and it has been hypothesised that biotypes of dactylopius tomentosus l. (hemiptera: dactylopiidae) occur. d. tomentosus is an important biological control agent for cylindropuntia cacti when they occur as weeds. additionally, there is uncertainty surrounding the taxonomic status of some species of cylindropuntia. this study aimed to confirm the existence of d. tomentosus biotypes and to assess whether host specialization ... | 2010 | 20003574 |
| hybridization between dactylopius tomentosus (hemiptera: dactylopiidae) biotypes and its effects on host specificity. | dactylopius tomentosus is composed of biotypes adapted to different cylindropuntia species. one biotype is an important biological control agent of c. imbricata in south africa while another has the potential for the control of c. fulgida var. fulgida. these two weed species occur in sympatry in some areas of south africa, so the introduction of the second biotype could result in hybridization, which, in turn, could impact on the biological control programs through altered host specificity and f ... | 2010 | 20074385 |
| genetic variation amongst biotypes of dactylopius tomentosus. | the tomentose cochineal scale insect, dactylopius tomentosus (lamarck) (hemiptera: dactylopiidae), is an important biological control agent against invasive species of cylindropuntia (caryophyllales: cactaceae). recent studies have demonstrated that this scale is composed of host-affiliated biotypes with differential host specificity and fitness on particular host species. we investigated genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships among d. tomentosus biotypes and provenances to examine the ... | 2015 | 24619863 |