CACTUS-FEEDING INSECTS AND MITES 3 



Officers of the Commonwealth Prickly Pear Board in 1921 com- 

 menced their investigations, during which visits to most of the larger 

 prickly pear regions of North and South America were made as follows: 



United States of America: A. P. Dodd, J. C. Hamlin, L, F. Hitch- 

 cock, E. Mortensen, J. Mann, R. C. Mundell, A. R. Taylor, 



Mexico: L. F. Hitchcock, E. Mortensen, J. Mann, R. C. Mundell, 

 A. R. Taylor. 



Central American republics: E. Mortensen. 



West Indies: L. F, Hitchcock, J. Mann. 



Venezuela and Colombia: L. F. Hitchcock. 



Brazil: J. Mann, E. Mortensen, R. C. Mundell. 



Paraguay: J. Mann, R. C. Mundell, 



Uruguay: A. P. Dodd. 



Argentina: W. B. Alexander, G. R. Bassingthwaighte, A. P. Dodd, 

 J. Mann, R. C. Mundell. 



Chile, Peru, Ecuador: R. C. Mundell. 



Their reports, unpublished, are available in the files of the Biological 

 Section, Department of Lands, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 



This publication deals with the species considered to be definitely 

 restricted to the family Cactaceae; it does include, however, certain 

 dipterous scavengers which, although not restricted to these host 

 plants, breed in rotting cactus so generally that they should be classed 

 as cactus feeders. The capsid bug Hesperolabops picta Hunter, Mitchell, 

 & Pratt is mentioned briefly, although it is known to have other hosts. 

 Other scavengers, flower visitors, and incidental insects have been 

 omitted. 



Secondly, the discussion of the life histories, habits, and distribution 

 of the various insects is based on the results of the Board's investiga- 

 tions. Cactus insects which have been recorded by other observers 

 but which were not encountered by these Officers have been omitted, 

 except that the occurrence of a few outstanding forms, such as the 

 pyralid Beebea guglielmi Schaus and the cerambycid Parmenosoma 

 griseum Schaeffer, has been noted. 



In the course of the investigations between 150 and 160 cactus 

 feeding forms were recognised; at least 50 of these proved new to 

 science. Various larval forms encountered during brief visits to certain 

 countries or districts were not reared; some of these certainly could 

 have been new. The investigation was concerned primarily with the 

 insect enemies of the genus Opuntia, especially the prickly pear, or 

 Platyopuntia, section. In the United States of America passing atten- 

 tion was given to the insect enemies of other types of cacti, while in 

 South America certain observations on insects attacking Cerei were 

 made by the author, particularly in 1958-59. Had the whole of tlie 



