Platerodrilus is a genus of beetles of the family Lycidae. They commonly appear in the literature under the name Duliticola, which is an obsolete junior synonym. The females retain a larval form as adults (larviform females) and are about 40–80 mm in length. The females and larvae have a flattened, dark body with large scales over the head, resembling trilobites, hence the informal names trilobite beetle, trilobite larva or Sumatran trilobite larva. The females feed on rotting wood, fungi, slime molds, and other small organisms that help break down decaying matter. Males are much smaller, 8–9 mm, resemble other lycid beetles, and likely feed on nectar for energy to fly and mate. Species are found in tropical forests of India and Southeast Asia.
Although the females resemble the prehistoric trilobite, the trilobite beetle evolved approximately 47 million years ago, 200 million years after trilobites had gone extinct. As only the females have this appearance the search for the species' males remained a mystery until Swedish zoologist Eric Mjöberg published a research paper describing them in 1925.
Species "P. paradoxus group" Platerodrilus foliaceus Masek & Bocak, 2014 Platerodrilus paradoxus (Mjöberg, 1925) =Duliticola paradoxa Mjöberg, 1925Duliticola paradoxa. (eol.org) "P. major group" Platerodrilus major Pic, 1921 Platerodrilus ngi Masek & Bocak, 2014 Platerodrilus wittmeri Masek & Bocak, 2014 "P. sinuatus group" Platerodrilus ijenensis Masek & Bocak, 2014 |Platerodrilus luteus Masek & Bocak, 2014 Platerodrilus maninjauensis Masek & Bocak, 2014 Platerodrilus montanus Masek & Bocak, 2014 Platerodrilus palawanensis Masek & Bocak, 2014 Platerodrilus ranauensis Masek & Bocak, 2014 Platerodrilus sibayakensis Masek & Bocak, 2014 Platerodrilus sinabungensis Masek & Bocak, 2014 Platerodrilus sinuatus Pic, 1921 Platerodrilus talamauensis Masek & Bocak, 2014 Platerodrilus tujuhensis Masek & Bocak, 2014 Ungrouped Platerodrilus bicolor (Wittmer, 1966) =Platerodriloplesius bicolor Wittmer, 1966 Platerodrilus crassicornis (Pic, 1923) =Platrilus crassicornis (Pic, 1923) Platerodrilus hirtus (Wittmer, 1938) =Platrilus hirtus (Wittmer, 1938) Platerodrilus korinchiana Platerodrilus robinsoni Blair, 1928 Platerodrilus ruficollis (Pic, 1942) =Falsocalochromus ruficollis Pic, 1942 =Duliticola hoiseni Wong, 1996
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Video of a trilobite beetle in Laos Video of a trilobite beetle in Borneo