"dactylopius coccus" is native to tropical and subtropical south america and north america in mexico, where their host cacti grow natively. they have been widely introduced to many regions where their host cacti also grow. about 200 species of "opuntia" cacti are known, and while it is possible to cultivate cochineal on almost all of them, the most common is "opuntia ficus-indica". "d. coccus" has only been noted on "opuntia" species, including "o. amyclaea", "o. atropes", "o. cantabrigiensis", "o. brasilienis", "o. ficus-indica", "o. fuliginosa", "o. jaliscana", "o. leucotricha", "o. lindheimeri", "o. microdasys", "o. megacantha", "o. pilifera", "o. robusta", "o. sarca", "o. schikendantzii", "o. stricta", "o. streptacantha", and "o. tomentosa". feeding cochineals can damage and kill the plant. other cochineal species feed on many of the same "opuntia", and the wide range of hosts reported for "d. coccus" likely is because of the difficulty in distinguishing it from other "dactylopius" species.