Opuntia in shallow, loose soils, such as on mountain slopes. "Opuntia" spreads into large clonal colonies, which contribute to its being considered a noxious weed in some places. Animals that eat "Opuntia" include the prickly pear island snail and "Cyclura" rock iguanas. The fruit are relished by many arid land animals, chiefly birds, which thus help distribute the seeds. "Opuntia" pathogens include the sac fungus "Colletotrichum coccodes" and Sammons' Opuntia virus. The ant "Crematogaster opuntiae" and the spider "Theridion opuntia" are named because of their association with prickly pear cacti. Like most true cactus species, prickly pears are native only to
Opuntia bentonii Opuntia bentonii Opuntia bentonii was proposed by some botanists to be a synonym of "Opuntia stricta". However, "O. bentonii", which grows in Texas, is separate and distinct from "O. stricta." "O. bentonii" was clearly described by Griffiths in 1911. Along with "O. stricta","O. bentonii" was one of the pest pears of Australia in the early Twentieth Century. Like so many "Opuntia" species, "O. bentonii" has been mistaken for a coastal form of "O. lindheimeri" in Texas, but there are sustained differences. For instance, "O. bentonii" plants are often less than 60 cm in height and the fruit is more globular