胭脂蟲

胭脂蟲
	左：雌蟲；右：雄蟲
科學分類
界：	動物界 Animalia
門：	節肢動物門 Arthropoda
綱：	昆蟲綱 Insecta
目：	半翅目 Hemiptera
科：	胭蚧科 Dactylopiidae
屬：	胭蚧屬 Dactylopius
種：	胭脂蟲 D. coccus
二名法
	Dactylopius coccus; Costa, 1835
異名
	Coccus cacti Linnaeus, 1758; Pseudococcus cacti Burmeister, 1839;

胭脂蟲（學名：Dactylopius coccus）又名洋紅蟲、墨西哥胭脂蟲或美洲胭脂蟲，是胭蚧科胭蚧屬的一種介殼蟲，原產於美洲。以仙人掌屬植物的汁液為食。其身長可達5公釐。

胭脂蟲雌蟲體內含胭脂紅酸，可以用來製造緋紅色染料（胭脂紅）。胭脂蟲是哥倫布交換（Columbian Exchange）之一。在地理大發現時代，在哥倫布發現美洲之初，胭脂蟲被引入了歐洲。當運送胭脂蟲的西班牙商船被英國或德國的海盜劫掠時，對胭脂蟲的價值和用處一無所知的海盜們往往會把貨物扔進大海。

目前，胭脂蟲被使用於布料染色、食用色素和化粧品。但作為食用色素時（例如常見於草莓果醬），多會加註警語，以防素食者誤食及避免過量服用胭脂蟲食用色素。

延伸閲讀

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