Imane, M., Haddad, N., Moghaddam, M., Ziri, R., Brhadda, N., & Smaili, M.C. 2022 Current status of the cactus scale Diaspis echinocacti Bouché (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) on Opuntia ficus-indica and its first morphological and microscopic description in Morocco. EPPO Bulletin 52: 718–724
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Notes: The presence of D. echinocacti on prickly pear cactus in these three sites in Morocco represents a serious potential threat for cactus in the country. Two predators, Rhyzobius lophanthae Blaisdell (1892) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Cybocephalus sp. (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), and two hymenopteran parasitoids, the ectoparasitoid Aphytis sp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and an endoparasitoid Encyrtidae, were recorded to be associated with cactus scale. Further work is needed to identify all these predators/parasitoids to species level and to evaluate their potential for biological control.
