Platerodrilus

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.^[1] 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.^[2] Males are much smaller, 8–9 mm, resemble other lycid beetles, and likely feed on nectar for energy to fly and mate.^[2] Species are found in tropical forests of India and Southeast Asia.

Phylum:Arthropoda

Clade:Pancrustacea

Class:Insecta

Order:Coleoptera

Quick facts Scientific classification, Species ...

Platerodrilus
Male and female of Platerodrilus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Elateriformia
Family:	Lycidae
Subfamily:	Leptolycinae
Tribe:	Duliticolini
Genus:	Platerodrilus Pic, 1921
Species
see text
Synonyms
Duliticola Mjöberg, 1925 Falsocalochromus Pic, 1942 Platerodriloplesius Wittmer, 1944 Platrilus Kazantsev, 2009

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Although the females resemble the prehistoric trilobite, the trilobite beetle evolved approximately 47 million years ago, 200 million years after trilobites had gone extinct.^[3] 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.^[4]