CreatureData

Cactus moth

Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg, 1885)

Status not recordedbutterflies and moths

The cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) is a species in the family Pyralidae, order Lepidoptera.

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Quick facts about the cactus moth

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the cactus moth live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the cactus moth as introduced in 13 countries, and flagged as invasive in 6 of them.

  1. Antigua & Barbudainvasive
  2. Bahamasinvasive
  3. Cayman Islandsinvasive
  4. Cubainvasive
  5. Jamaicainvasive
  6. St. Kitts & Nevisinvasive
  7. Dominican Republic
  8. Kenya
  9. Mauritius
  10. Montserrat
  11. South Africa
  12. St. Martin
  13. United States

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the cactus moth endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the cactus moth classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumArthropoda
  3. classInsecta
  4. orderLepidoptera
  5. familyPyralidae
  6. genusCactoblastis
  7. SpeciesCactoblastis cactorum (Berg, 1885)

Synonyms Cactoblatis cactorum, Zophodia cactorum

Other names and names in other languages (12)
  • Cactoblastis mothEnglish
  • Opuntia cactus mothEnglish
  • Pricklypear mothEnglish
  • Tropical cactus borerEnglish
  • KaktusmotteGerman
  • Palomilla argentina del nopalSpanish
  • Pyrale du CactusFrench
  • Farfalla del cactusItalian
  • CactusmotDutch
  • mklik kaktusowyPolish
  • OpuntienzünslerGerman
  • chenille pyrale de la farineFrench

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the cactus moth

Other species in the same genus Cactoblastis.

CompareCactus moth vs Cactoblastis bucyrusCactus moth vs Cactoblastis doddiCactus moth vs Cactoblastis mundelliCactus moth vs Cactoblastis ronnai

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Is the cactus moth an invasive species?

In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the cactus moth as invasive in 6 countries, including Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba and Jamaica. It lists it as introduced in 13 in all.

What kind of animal is the cactus moth?

The cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) belongs to the family Pyralidae in the order Lepidoptera.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-13. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cactus-moth

MLA

“Cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cactus-moth.

BibTeX
@misc{cactus_moth_2026,
  title = {Cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cactus-moth},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-13}
}