Moth released for biocontrol later became a threat to native US prickly pears

An invasive South American moth that was once released as a biological control agent in the Caribbean is now spreading across the southern United States, creating a serious ecological and economic threat to native prickly pear cactus populations. The insect, Cactoblastis cactorum, commonly known as the Argentine cactus moth, was first detected in Florida in 1989. According to research published by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS Extension) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), the moth has since moved along the Gulf Coast and established breeding populations in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and parts of Texas.Native to South America, the species became well known in the mid-20th century for its success as a biological control agent. In Australia during the 1920s and 1930s, the moth was deliberately released to control invasive prickly pear species (Opuntia).