cactus scale vs coast amaranth

Diaspis echinocacti compared with Amaranthus pumilus

Key Differences

cactus scale is Not Evaluated while coast amaranth is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	cactus scale	coast amaranth
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Diaspididae	Amaranthaceae
Genus	Diaspis	Amaranthus
Species	Diaspis echinocacti	Amaranthus pumilus

Conservation Status

cactus scale

NE — Not Evaluated

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	cactus scale	coast amaranth
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

cactus scale

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Israel, Japan, Taiwan), Europe (17 countries), and North America (United States).

coast amaranth

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Japan.

cactus scale

The Cactus scale (Diaspis echinocacti) is a species in the genus Diaspis. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Coast amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) is an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae, native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the eastern United States, where it once grew on coastal foredunes, beach strand, and shell-hash substrates above the high tide line from New York south to South Carolina. It is a low-growing, fleshy plant with small, rounded leaves and inconspicuous green flowers typical of the genus. Coast amaranth is assessed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, as it has not been reliably documented from wild populations since the mid-20th century; the last confirmed collections date to the 1960s. The species' decline and likely extinction resulted from intense human pressure on Atlantic coastal habitats through shoreline development, beach stabilisation, vehicular traffic on beaches, and increased storm frequency disrupting pioneer dune vegetation. It is federally listed as Threatened in the United States, though this listing predates confirmed extinction in the wild. A small number of ex-situ accessions may exist in botanical garden collections. Genetic material and seed banking efforts represent the only remaining conservation options for this critically reduced species.