About Coccus hesperidum Linnaeus, 1758
This species is Coccus hesperidum Linnaeus, 1758, commonly known as the brown soft scale. The adult female of this scale insect has an oval, dome-shaped body, and measures approximately 3 to 5 mm (0.12 to 0.20 inches) in length. It keeps its legs and antennae for its entire lifetime. While its cuticle is composed of chitin, it does not produce the large amounts of wax that armoured scale insects create. Its body color is pale yellowish-brown or greenish-brown, marked with irregular brown speckles, and it darkens in color as it ages. Male brown soft scale insects of this species are rarely encountered.
