Soft scale females vary from flat to almost spherical. Often different host plants will alter the body form of a single species so much that taxonomists have described the different forms as separate species. If one turns the adult soft scale over, legs, antennae and thread-like mouthparts are readily visible with the aid of a microscope. Three common soft scales found in greenhouses and interior plantscapes are the brown soft scale, hemispherical scale, and tessellated scale. Soft scales may reproduce sexually or parthenogenetically and every female may be capable of producing progeny without fertilization.
Tremendous populations can develop during a single growing season.
Most out door species have one generation per year. Females either lay eggs or give live birth, depending on the species. There are three instars in the females and five instars in the males. In warmer climates and in greenhouses, species with multiple generations may have all stages present simultaneously throughout the year.