When mature they emerge from the armor in the late afternoon. They do not feed, living only a few hours to mate. Because of the late emergence and short life of males, it is unlikely to find them in the field. The armor must be pried off to reveal a female insect attached to the plant by thread-like mouthparts. The adult female insect lacks wings, legs, or eyes.
Dead ones are dark brown and are dried rather than plump.
Since female armored scales are not capable of wandering once they have settled and started feeding, long range dispersal happens by passive transport of infested plant material. Wind is an agent of dispersal and also one of mortality, since crawlers dislodged by wind may not land on suitable host plants. Adult males are capable of only weak flight or wind transport. Living only a few hours, they do not feed. The last two developmental stages of males also do not feed.