Prickly Pear Lace Bug — printable fact sheet

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Prickly Pear Lace Bug

Corythucha cactaceae

The prickly pear lace bug is a small, intricately patterned insect known for feeding on the pads of prickly pear cacti. Measuring only a few millimeters in length, this bug displays a delicate, lace-like pattern on its wings that gives it a distinctive appearance. It is primaril…

Classification

Invertebrate

Family

Tingidae

Habitat

Deserts and arid regions with prickly pear cacti

Diet

Herbivore

Conservation status

Least Concern

Lifespan

2-4 months

Weight

0.005-0.01 g

Scientific name

Corythucha cactaceae

Did you know?

Prickly pear lace bugs are so small and well-camouflaged that their presence is often only noticed after visible damage to cactus pads appears.
The prickly pear lace bug is named for the ornate, lace-like veins on its wings and thorax. It has piercing-sucking mouthparts used to extract plant juices from cacti. Despite their small size, large populations can cause significant damage to cactus plants.

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