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Trilobite Beetles: "Prehistoric" Creatures of our Forests

Friday, September 9, 2016
Trilobite Beetles - "Prehistoric" Creatures of our Forests
Trilobite beetles are not prehistoric. They merely resemble the extinct trilobite and adopted the name due to the visual similarity. However, that didn't stop some passionate photographers from calling it the "Jurassic bug" when they (we) first saw it in the wild!

This page consists of a personal checklist of all Trilobite Beetles (Platerodrilus sp.) that I've encountered over the years. Most are not identified, so any assistance on identification will be appreciated! Note that Duliticola is an obsolete junior synonym of Platerodrilus. Also, P. hoiseni is a junior synonym of P. ruficollis based on Masek & Bocak, 2014. The females in this genus remain in larval form and I don't think I've seen the male before.

All photos are of live subjects shot in the field, with the dorsal view selected where available. Click on individual photos for larger views and views from other angles. As specimens were not collected, identifications were done purely based on photographs and may not be 100% accurate. Thanks to Alvin Wong for suggestions on some of the IDs.

This page will be updated regularly, please let me know if you spot any mistakes.

View my complete Flickr photo set: Platerodrilus - Trilobite Beetles.

Genus: Platerodrilus Pic, 1921

Trilobite beetle larvae (Platerodrilus ruficollis) - DSC_1811 Singapore: Platerodrilus ruficollis (Pic, 1942)
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_9481 Singapore: Platerodrilus ruficollis (Pic, 1942) Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_4215 West Malaysia: Platerodrilus sp. DSC_4215
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_2752 East Malaysia: Platerodrilus foliaceus Masek & Bocak, 2014 Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_2983 East Malaysia: Platerodrilus sp. DSC_2983
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_9451 Singapore: Platerodrilus ngi Masek & Bocak, 2014
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_6050 West Malaysia: Platerodrilus sp. DSC_6050 Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_3018 East Malaysia: Platerodrilus sp. DSC_3018

Early Stages or Other Lycids

Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_9972 Singapore: Unidentified DSC_9972 Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_8952 West Malaysia: Unidentified DSC_8952
Trilobite beetle larva hatchling? (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_2430 Singapore: Unidentified DSC_2430  

Trilobite Beetle Close-Ups and Alternate Angles

Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_2028 Singapore: Platerodrilus ngi Masek & Bocak, 2014
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_2014 Singapore: Platerodrilus ngi Masek & Bocak, 2014 Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) - DSC_7437 Singapore: Platerodrilus ngi Masek & Bocak, 2014
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus hoiseni) - DSC_9691 Singapore: Platerodrilus ruficollis (Pic, 1942) Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus ruficollis) - DSC_9344 Singapore: Platerodrilus ruficollis (Pic, 1942)
Trilobite beetle (Platerodrilus foliaceus) - DSC_8958 East Malaysia: Platerodrilus foliaceus Masek & Bocak, 2014 - Playing dead


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