Cactus (Acanthocereus tetragonus)

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Identidad taxonómica

Scientific name: Acanthocereus tetragonus (L.) Hummelinck
Canonical name: The scientific name without its authorship or date, for example Zea mays instead of Zea mays L.: Acanthocereus tetragonus
Authorship: The author or authors credited with publishing the scientific name. It is written after the name, sometimes with the year, for example L. (Linnaeus) in Zea mays L. An author in parentheses first published the name in another genus or rank.: (L.) Hummelinck
Common names: Cactus, Triangle Cactus, Night-blooming Cereus, Barbed-wire cactus, Sword pear, Triangle cactus, barbed wire cactus, barbed-wire cactus, sword-pear
Names in other languages (43)
Bejunco, Cacto-triangular, Cactus triangle, Cadushi di Colebra, Chaco, Cruceta, Cushicuri, Kadushi di Kolebra, Mandacaru-verde-azulado-de-quatro-costelas, Nopal de Cruz, Nopal de tres lomos, Nun-Tsutsuy, Organo, akantocereus štvorrebrový, bajinco, cacto-castelo, cacto-castelo-de-fada, castelo-de-fada, cola de lagarto, jacobo, jacube, jacubo, nopal estrella, ocomtzatza, pitahaya, pitahaya anaranjada, pitahaya morada, pitahaya naranjada, pitaya, pitayo, snårpelarkaktus, tasajillo, tasajo, teonoste, tuna de pitaya, tzatza, Órgano-alado de Pitaya, órgano alado de cruz, órgano alado de occidente, órgano alado de pitaya, órgano alado espinoso, ゴリョウカク（五稜角）, 待宵仙人柱
Kingdom: One of the broadest ranks of biological classification. It groups organisms that share very basic features, for example plants (Plantae), animals (Animalia) or fungi (Fungi).: Plantae
Phylum: Rank below kingdom that groups organisms with a shared general body plan, for example chordates (Chordata), arthropods (Arthropoda) or vascular plants (Tracheophyta). In botany the same rank is also called division.: Tracheophyta
Class: Rank below phylum, for example mammals (Mammalia), birds (Aves), insects (Insecta) or monocot plants such as grasses and orchids (Liliopsida).: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rank below class that groups related families, for example grasses and their relatives (Poales) or bats (Chiroptera).: Caryophyllales
Family: Rank below order that groups related genera. Family names usually end in -aceae in botany (for example Poaceae, the grass family) and in -idae in zoology (for example Felidae, the cat family).: Cactaceae
Genus: Rank that groups closely related species. Its name is the first word of a species' scientific name and starts with a capital letter, for example Zea in Zea mays.: Acanthocereus
Specific epithet: The second word of a species' scientific name. On its own it does not name the species: it always goes with the genus, for example mays in Zea mays.: tetragonus
Taxonomic rank: The level a name occupies in the hierarchy of biological classification, such as kingdom, family, genus, species or subspecies.: species
Reference species: Acanthocereus tetragonus
Taxonomic status: Whether the taxonomic catalogue the record comes from currently accepts this name for the organism, or treats it as a synonym of another accepted name or as doubtful.: accepted name

Photos and conservation status

IUCN Red List category: The extinction-risk category that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assigns to a species on its Red List. EX Extinct: there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. EW Extinct in the wild: it survives only in cultivation, in captivity or as a population far outside its past range. CR Critically endangered, EN Endangered and VU Vulnerable: the three threatened categories, from an extremely high to a high risk of extinction in the wild. NT Near threatened: close to qualifying as threatened. LC Least concern: evaluated and not threatened. DD Data deficient: there is not enough information to assess its risk. NE Not evaluated: not yet assessed against the criteria. It describes the risk of the species worldwide, not its situation in a project's area.: Least concern (LC)
Source: IUCN Red List via GBIF, queried on 2026-10-12 18:01.

Photo of Acanthocereus tetragonus (L.) Hummelinck — Photo: Ben Gruhot · CC BY 4.0 · View original image · Original observation

Research-grade iNaturalist observations via GBIF, CC0 or CC BY licences only, queried on 2026-10-12 18:01.

Interacciones documentadas

GloBI says it is documented somewhere in the world. Biolitica answers whether it could happen here.

A documented interaction means it was recorded somewhere in the world. It does not mean it occurs here.

Types shown: 6 of 6 is eaten by × is a host of × has its flowers visited by × eats × is preyed upon by × is visited by ×

Blocks that do not sit under a navigation concept heading keep the source's own term: no navigation concept has been assigned to them yet.

is eaten by 5 organisms

This term does declare that the organism harms this species.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented
Lesser Long-nosed Bat Leptonycteris yerbabuenae Phyllostomidae	is eaten by	2	not compared
2 sources · 2 records Rojas-Martínez, A., et al. 2012. Frugivory diet of the lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae), in the Tehuacán Valley of central Mexico. THERYA 3 (3): 371-380. Published in globalbioticinteractions/batbase Context: Tehuacan Valley · no date published https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/205799432 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · Aug. 11, 2022 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Cottontop Tamarin Oedipomidas oedipus Callitrichidae	is eaten by	1	no location
1 source · 1 record @article{https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.70049, author = {Fuzessy, Lisieux and Pizo, Marco Aurélio}, title = {NeoFrugivory: A comprehensive database for frugivory interactions and functional traits in the Neotropics}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {106}, number = {3}, pages = {e7004… Published in globalbioticinteractions/neofrugivory Context: no place published · no date published A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Mexican Cacique Cassiculus melanicterus Icteridae	is eaten by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3767612 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · July 30, 2016 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
European Honey Bee Apis mellifera Apidae	is eaten by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/126059482 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · July 13, 2022 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 4 of 5, by number of studies See more of this type

is a host of 4 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it. In the source ontology symbiosis covers mutualism, commensalism and parasitism alike, so this block holds attackers and allies side by side.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented
Septoria cacaliae Mycosphaerellaceae	is a host of	1	no location
1 source · 1 record https://mycoportal.org/portal/collections/individual/index.php?occid=1242915 Published in globalbioticinteractions/mycoportal Context: Weslaco, Hidalgo Co. · May 14, 1938 · Preserved specimen A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Phytophthora arecae Peronosporaceae	is a host of	1	no location
1 source · 1 record Farr, David F.; Rossman, Amy Y.; Castlebury, Lisa A. (2021). United States National Fungus Collections Fungus-Host Dataset. Ag Data Commons. https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/1524414. Accessed at <https://github.com/globalbioticinteractions/usda-fungus-host/archive/47a3882c0c536… Published in globalbioticinteractions/usda-fungus-host Context: India · no date published A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Scale insect Hypogeococcus pungens Pseudococcidae	is a host of	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/199412758 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · Feb. 7, 2024 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Phytophthora palmivora var. palmivora Peronosporaceae	is a host of	1	no location
1 source · 1 record Erwin, D.C., and Ribeiro, O.K.. 1996. %Phytophthora% Diseases Worldwide. APS Press, St. Paul, Minnesota :562 Published in globalbioticinteractions/usda-fungus-host Context: India · no date published A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 4 of 4, by number of studies

Flower visit

has its flowers visited by 2 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it. Visiting a flower is not pollinating it. «Pollinates» is a different term and a different block, and merging the two is the measured defect that turned ~88 shared «pollinators» into birds and primates.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented
European Honey Bee Apis mellifera Apidae	has its flowers visited by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/126059482 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · July 13, 2022 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Lesser Long-nosed Bat Leptonycteris yerbabuenae Phyllostomidae	has its flowers visited by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/205799432 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · Aug. 11, 2022 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 2 of 2, by number of studies

eats 1 organism

This term declares that the organism benefits this species.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented	Actions
Myscelia ethusa ethusa Nymphalidae	eats	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6021028 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · April 2, 2012 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 1 of 1, by number of studies

is preyed upon by 1 organism

This term does declare that the organism harms this species.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented	Actions
Tropical Leafwing Anaea aidea Nymphalidae	is preyed upon by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4152124 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · Sept. 19, 2016 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 1 of 1, by number of studies

is visited by 1 organism

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented	Actions
Mexican Cacique Cassiculus melanicterus Icteridae	is visited by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3767612 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · July 30, 2016 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 1 of 1, by number of studies

Interaction data from Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI), GloBI 0.11. Each row keeps the citation its own study published.

Interactions are published at species level: they are not resolved by variety or race.

Each block is headed by the source's own term, read from this species' end — not by a category of ours. Two similar terms are not merged.

«Documented here» means the interaction was observed in this territory. It is not evidence that the species is here, and it does not enter the niche model.

Acompañantes documentados

This agronomic reading comes from a source reserved for internal use, so it is not shown here.

Documented uses and recommendations

Uses and recommendations that a source documents for this species beside a crop, each in its own context. They are the source's statements, not traits of the species and not Biolítica's recommendations, and none of them is a relation between two species.

Among the sources you can read, none documents a use or recommendation of this species beside a crop.