They have no eyes or appendages, and their soft yellow bodies are visible through the translucent test, giving them the appearance of miniature fried eggs.

Males have smaller, more elongated tests, and pass through a pseudo-pupal stage before metamorphosing into reddish, gnat-like insects with eyes, antennae, legs and wings, but no mouthparts.

[4] Aspidiotus destructor is a major pest of coconut, but also feeds on various fruit trees and ornamental plants; these include banana, apple, avocado, breadfruit, citrus, grape, guava, mango, ficus, camellia, papaya, ginger, bird of paradise, sugarcane, plumeria and oil palms.

On coconut it infests the under surface of the leaves, the leaf stalks, flowers and small fruit, causing discolouration, chlorosis and distortion.

[5] This lady beetle was successful where the other predators had failed because of its voracious appetite, its fecundity, and its ability to seek out and feed on other prey species when the scale population diminished.