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.

Class: Insecta Linnaeus, 1758

Order: Coleoptera Linnaeus, 1758

Family: Lycidae Laporte, 1836

Genus: Platerodrilus Pic, 1921

Singapore: Platerodrilus ruficollis (Pic, 1942)

Singapore: Platerodrilus ruficollis (Pic, 1942)

West Malaysia: Platerodrilus sp. DSC_4215

East Malaysia: Platerodrilus foliaceus Masek & Bocak, 2014

East Malaysia: Platerodrilus sp. DSC_2983

Singapore: Platerodrilus ngi Masek & Bocak, 2014

West Malaysia: Platerodrilus sp. DSC_6050

East Malaysia: Platerodrilus sp. DSC_3018

East Malaysia: Platerodrilus gr. paradoxus Mjöberg, 1925
* This species has not been described but is provisionally placed in the P. paradoxus group.

Early Stages or Other Lycids

Singapore: Unidentified DSC_9972

West Malaysia: Unidentified DSC_8952

Singapore: Unidentified DSC_2430

Trilobite Beetle Close-Ups and Alternate Angles

Singapore: Platerodrilus ngi Masek & Bocak, 2014

Singapore: Platerodrilus ngi Masek & Bocak, 2014

Singapore: Platerodrilus ngi Masek & Bocak, 2014

Singapore: Platerodrilus ruficollis (Pic, 1942)

Singapore: Platerodrilus ruficollis (Pic, 1942)

East Malaysia: Platerodrilus foliaceus Masek & Bocak, 2014 - Playing dead