Scale insect from which the crimson colorant cochineal is derived. It is a primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, preferring cacti from the genus Opuntia. It produces carminic acid, which deters predation. This substance is extracted from the bodies of dry females and eggs; the colorant was usually used as a red solution or precipitated to make carmine, an aluminum or aluminum-tin lake. Secretions of sticky, weblike strands of filamentous wax make the colonies' infestations on the cacti appear as furry white patches.
