Net-winged beetles synthesize their molecular defense, a novel acetylenic acid named lycidic acid, ... Female adult trilobite beetles are neotenic, meaning that they retain the body shape of a larva, ...

Some insects are cryptic, blending in with their backgrounds to hide from predators, while others are brightly colored to warn their predators away.

Male trilobite beetles lack the trilobite-like appearance, looking like regular net-winged beetles with long, slender wings and a much smaller body overall. Adult male trilobite beetles of various ...

The net-winged beetle’s neon warning sign isn’t a bluff. If snatched by an insect or bird, the beetle releases a chemical compound from the base of the elytra that smells and tastes bad.

The larvae of net-winged insects are predators that use venom to catch and digest other arthropods. Well-known members of this order are the families of green lacewings and antlions.