It is found in southern Texas (from Brownsville to Presidio) and Mexico (along the coastal plain south from Texas to Tampico).

The species has been introduced in Australia as a biological control agent of Opuntia stricta.

Adults are on wing from mid-January to May and again from late August to early November.

stricta and Opuntia lindheimeri var.

Second-generation larvae feed during winter, and pupate in January.