''Opuntia aurantiaca'', commonly known as tiger-pear, jointed cactus or jointed prickly-pear, is a species of cactus from South America. The species occurs naturally in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay and is considered an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

in Africa and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It was declared
Weed of National Significance
by th

in April 2012, and wa
reported by the Committee
to be the most troublesome of all cactus species in New South Wales and the worst Opuntia species in Queensland. It is currently controlled biologically in Australia using the cochineal insect '' Dactylopius austrinus'', and to a lesser extent by the larvae of two moths, ''

Cactoblastis cactorum ''Cactoblastis cactorum'', the cactus moth, South American cactus moth or nopal moth, is native to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil. It is one of five species in the genus '' Cactoblastis'' that inhabit South America, where many pa ...

'' and ''

Tucumania tapiacola ''Tucumania tapiacola'' is a species of snout moth in the genus '' Tucumania''. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1925. It is found in Argentina and has been introduced to Australia and South Africa. The wingspan is 24–34 mm. ...

''.

References

aurantiaca Cacti of South America Flora of Argentina Flora of Paraguay Flora of Uruguay Flora naturalised in Australia Plants described in 1833 {{Cactus-stub

See also

References