Melitara sp. - Melitara

As I recall,

assuming this is the same Melitara species we had in ne. Colorado when I was a kid, there is one brood in a season. The small larvae overwinter, and adults appear in summer, so you shouldn't have to wait too long to see them. Adults lay eggs in "sticks" (hard spine mimicking stacks of eggs), usually attached to the spines. Pupae were in loose cocoons (barely there) either inside the base of the hollow plant or in/on the ground underneath it.

I'll track down your email to elaborate on Pricklypear (it's liable to get long-winded).

… David J. Ferguson, 5 May, 2013 - 12:53pm

not sure what species of Melitara this is,

but for anyone interested, the Pricklypear is Opuntia cymochila, common across all of Kansas (and much of the Great Plains), but not in any of the books on Cacti - go figure.

In the summer I lived in Sublette (1979), most of the Pricklypear in the area (there was more unplowed land there then) was destroyed by an outbreak of these Moths. Not sure how well they've grown back since.

… David J. Ferguson, 3 May, 2013 - 4:27pm

Great,

Thanks for the information, I have been curious to which species this could be. I noticed quite a few patches of Opuntia in the same area were infested. I actually have collected several of these caterpillars and have them housed with fresh pads; hoping to photograph the adults.
I also have taken an interest in identification of Opuntia species. Could you share the characters that make O. cymochila unique; it seems there is a lot of conflicting info on Opuntia species.

… Anthony Zukoff, 3 May, 2013 - 4:52pm

… David J. Ferguson, 3 May, 2013 - 4:27pm

not sure what species of Melitara this is,

but for anyone interested, the Pricklypear is Opuntia cymochila, common across all of Kansas (and much of the Great Plains), but not in any of the books on Cacti - go figure.

… David J. Ferguson, 3 May, 2013 - 4:24pm