[2] Adult females produce a protective waxy test that shields their body.

The tests are mostly creamy or varying shades of brown but some species have orange, yellow, red, pink or white.

Species in the genera Asterococcus and Solenophora incorporate the shed skin of the first instar in their test.

[2] Ornate pit scales have three instar stages in the females and five in the males.

In the United States, where a few species of Cerococcus have been studied, there is a single generation each year and the eggs overwinter inside the female test.