The mealybug Ferrisia dasylirii (Cockerell), found for the first time in the salt-tolerant plant Salicornia bigelovii (Torr.), previously was identified by Cockerell (1896) as Dactylopius dasylirii because it is naturally found in Dasylirion wheeleri, a wild plant known as “sotol” in the Asparagaceae family, and is native to arid zones in the states of Chihuahua and Sonora in northern Mexico. The polyphagous insect was found in 47 genera of plants in 29 families. However, because of its adaptive capacity derived from genetic plasticity, F. dasylirii fed and reproduced in 10% of S. bigelovii in an area adjacent to a multi-trophic shrimp-rearing farm as part of a wetland constructed for phytoremediation at Baja California Sur, Mexico. S. bigelovii is of economic interest for use in gourmet cuisine, industry, and soil remediation in deteriorated environments not suitable for conventional agriculture, a problem in arid and semi-arid regions. The plant also has great potential use in integrated marine aquaculture systems. Strategies for possible-plague management based on good practices should be established, especially when the plant is intended for human consumption.