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The cochineal ( or ; ''Dactylopius coccus'') is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America as well as Mexico and Arizona, this insect lives on cacti in the genus ''Opuntia'', feeding on plant moisture and nutrients. These insects are found on the paddles of prickly pear cacti, then are brushed off and dried. The insect producescarminic acid that deters predation by other insects. Carminic acid, typically 17-24% of dried insects' weight, can be extracted from the body and eggs, then mixed with aluminium or calcium salts to make carmine dye, also known as cochineal. Today, carmine is primarily used as a colorant in food and in lipstick. The carmine dye was used in Central America in the 15th century for coloring fabrics and became an important export good during the colonial period. After synthetic pigments and dyes such as alizarin were invented in the late 19th century, natural-dye production gradually diminished. Health fears over artificial food additives, however, have renewed the popularity of cochineal dyes, and the increased demand has made cultivation of the insect profitable again, with Peru being the largest exporter. Some towns in the Mexican state of Oaxaca are still working in handmade textiles using this cochineal.〔(Natural Dyeing in Mexico )〕 Other species in the genus ''Dactylopius'' can be used to produce cochineal extract, but they are extremely difficult to distinguish from ''D. coccus'', even for expert taxonomists, and the latter scientific name (and the vernacular "cochineal insect") is therefore commonly used when one is actually referring to other biological species. The primary biological distinctions between species are minor differences in host plant preferences, in addition to very different geographic distributions. ==Etymology== Cochineal is probably . See also the related word ''kermes'' which is the source of a similar but weaker Mediterranean dye also called crimson, which was used to color cloth red before discovery of cochineal in the New World. Some sources identify the Spanish source word for cochineal as ''cochinilla'' "wood louse" (a diminutive form related to Spanish, ''cerdo'' and ''chancho'', ultimately from French ''cochon'', meaning "pig")."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Cochineal )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cochineal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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