[1] In general, cochineals are waxy gray scaled insects, with the key characteristic that adult females release the bright red substance when crushed[4] known as carminic acid.

[4] Common with the characteristics of most scaled insects, the species within this genus too show sexual dimorphism between male and female individuals.

[4][5] Dactylopius species can be found on cacti in many types of dry habitat, including forests, grasslands, cultivated fields, disturbed and weedy areas, and gardens.

They share cactus host plants with various ants, spiders, the larva of the snout moth Laetilia coccidivora, a brown lacewing (Symherobius sp.

Molecular phylogenetic studies of the genus suggest that D. coccus originated in South America and was introduced to Mexico with various agricultural products during the pre-Columbian era.

It is processed to produce the pigment carmine, which has long been used as a red food coloring and a natural dye for textiles.

Dactylopius coccus, the true cochineal, is the species most commonly used today and historically, because it has a higher carminic acid content and yields a better quality pigment than its congeners.

Rulers of the Inca Empire stored supplies of the insects as a commodity, as they were the only source of red dye for clothing and other textiles.

[2] The first example of an herbivorous insect ever used for the biological control of a weed was D. ceylonicus, which was released onto Opuntia ficus-indica, then known as O. vulgaris, in Sri Lanka in 1863.

[5] O. ficus-indica is a cactus cultivated as a food crop, and it is the most commonly noted host plant of Dactylopius species.