[1] Selenaspidus articulatus is native to the southern United States, the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, Surinam, Guyana, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru.

These include avocado, banana, caimito, Citrus, cocoa, coconut, garden croton, coffee, Cycas, Ficus, forest trees, mahogany, Gardenia, Cape jasmine, jasmine, mango, olive, palm, Pandanus, paw-paw, rose,[2] and rubber.

The insects are herbivorous, and adults and nymphs feed on phloem sap sucked from the plant's vascular system.

This can introduce toxins into the plant, and weakens it, causing leaves to fall in heavy infestations.

Lady beetles are important predators of this scale insect,[3] as well as parasitic wasps in the Aphelinidae and Encyrtidae families, and Signiphora lutea.