Female of the second stage more or less elliptical, slightly convex, brown in colour beneath the thin white felted covering, which usually presents a segmented appearance, due to the transverse rows of prominent spinnerets. Body covered thickly on the dorsal surface with spines, which are subcylindrical, the ends rounded, springing from tubercular bases. On the ventral surface many smaller spiny hairs. Abdominal cleft normal, the lobes large. Mentum probably monomerous: the tip bears several hairs. Antennæ of six somewhat hairy joints. Feet with rather large femora; the lower digitules are fine hairs. Anogenital ring bearing numerous hairs.
Adult female elliptical, convex, hollow beneath, brown in colour, usually affecting the twigs and branches of the plant in preference to the leaves. Apparently naked, but on close inspection found to retain at least portions of the thin felted covering. Dorsal surface covered with great numbers of spines similar to those of the second stage; ventral surface with many small spiny hairs. Antennæ of seven joints. The feet have large coxæ and femora; the tibia is only about half as long as the tarsus; the lower digitules are only fine hairs.
Adult male of normal form of _Lecanidinæ_: colour brown. On the head are six visual organs: two dorsal eyes, two ventral, and two ocelli. Antennæ reddish, ten-jointed; the second joint a good deal thicker than the rest, the second, third, and fourth joints the longest; the last three moniliform; all the joints hairy. On the five last joints are several hairs with knobbed extremities. Feet slender, hairy; digitules fine hairs. Abdominal spike short and rather broad. On each side of the base of the spike is a tubercle bearing a pair of longish setæ; each pair of setæ becomes enclosed in a long white cottony thread, and the two threads form conspicuous "tails," as is common with most males of the Coccid family.
Habitat--On _Olearia Haastii_, Botanical Gardens, Wellington. This is an alpine plant cultivated in the Gardens, and the insect probably came with it from the mountains.
This species is distinguished from _E. spinosus_ by the great number of spiny spinnerets on the dorsum of the female and by the tubular character of the fringe.