The land to the northwest of the Eastern Forest Outskirts
supports a much more humid and tropical climate, with dense jungles and
rainforests. Within this area there is an ammonia river surrounded by a large
drainage basin, making the environment in this region especially wet and
swampy.
In Amthalassan rainforests plants are especially huge, owing
to the high levels of methane and tropical climate of the planet. Trees can get
much taller and grow far larger leaves on Amthalassa than in the rainforests of
Earth, towering over even the largest animals that walk through. Many of these
trees are kelp trees, but there are also a high number of large woody trees and
trees with exoskeletons, far more so than in the less densely forested woodland
to the east. In the open woodlands and savannahs of that area, the faster
growth rate of kelp trees provides an advantage as it allows at least a few to outgrow
Cursor predation.
With the high canopy blocking sunlight, the forest floor can
be quite dim. Only moss and fungi grows here, requiring relatively little light
to thrive. The moss here is far more primitive than the variety found in
mosslands, lacking the waxy layer that prevents moisture loss. As such, they
require a far more humid environment than steppe moss.
Cornucerva tricerus
Size: 1.1 metres in length
Diet: fungi, primitive moss
Habitat: rainforest floor
Colouration: purple or red, with darker or black spots
Symmetry: biradial
Reproduction: reproduces sexually, all hermaphrodites, lays
eggs
C. tricerus is a
particularly small duocaputin, roaming the forest floor and feeding off the
fungi that grow there with its large proboscis. The spotted, splodged
colouration of its exoskeleton breaks up its form in the leafy environment of
the rainforest, allowing it to escape the attention of predators and avoid
danger.
As is common for folivorids they tend to live in groups, and
they use the three long, thin chitinous horns at each end of their body to settle disputes. Unlike many
other horned duocaputins, C. tricerus doesn’t
engage in head butting, but instead engages in a kind of “sword fighting” with
their horns, each trying to push their opponent to the side in a competition
similar to arm-wrestling. Although their exoskeletons are rather thick, they
aren’t as tough as most of their relatives, so they probably couldn’t endure a
great deal of head butting – even if their horns didn’t get in the way.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Lactilinguida
Subclass: Plumalia
Order: Herbivora
Family: Folivoridae
Tribe: Velocini
Subtribe: Duocaputina
Genus: Cornucerva
Species: C. tricerus
Megarhamphus plumalis
Size: 30 -
55 centimetres, not including tail
Diet:
primarily fruit, may also eat leaves
Habitat:
arboreal
Colouration:
bright white, yellow, and blue feathers. “Males” possess more yellow and blue
plumage, while other individuals have duller mostly white feathers. The
feathers of males are highly reflective and iridescent.
Symmetry:
8 fold radial symmetry
Reproduction:
sexual, all individuals are hermaphrodites though take on either a “male” or
“female” reproductive role that can change over time. Lays eggs.
This species of caudarostrin is far more active than their
relatives Caudarostrum, with a diet
consisting largely of energy rich fruit rather than leaves and seeds, and
climbing on the tops of branches rather than lazily hanging from underneath.
Megarhamphus is
highly social, with complex group structures and a large number of different
calls. They are very visual animals, but unlike most plumalians, who tend to be
trichromatic or tetrachromatic, Megarhamphus
is pentachromatic. Their white, blue and yellow colouration is only the tip of
the iceberg; to other members of their species, their feathers bear complex
patterns in the ultraviolet, indicating the health of the individual.
While many folivorids practice serial monogamy, Megarhamphus is polygamous. Unlike most
other hermaphroditic species on Amthalassa, individuals of this species will
usually either take on the role of a male (depositing sperm during mating
sessions) or female (receiving sperm during mating and laying eggs). The group
consists of one “male”, who has very well developed and colourful feathers,
with a crest of feathers around their neck, as well as numerous “females” the
male mates with, and their children. It is quite common for them to switch
roles, especially if the lead male dies, with gradual changes in physical
appearance following this, especially in their feathers. Since more offspring
are related to the male than to any of the females, the colourful feathers of
the male is strongly selected for. Females will only allow individuals with
especially bright feathers to mate with them, rejecting any attempts other
females may make to impregnate them.
While this is the typical group structure, it isn’t always
quite so clearly clear cut. Some groups will have a main male and one or two
other competing males, for example. The competing males will often let the main
male impregnate them, but will also mate with a few of the females and attempt
to fight the main male for its position.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Lactilinguida
Subclass: Plumalia
Order: Herbivora
Family: Folivoridae
Subfamily: Caudarostrinae
Tribe: Caudarostrini
Genus: Megarhamphus
Species: M.
plumalis
River Hydrodiscid
(Ahris potamus)
Size: 15 - 25 cm radius
Diet: plants and dead matter on riverbed
Habitat: jungle rivers
Colouration: brown
Symmetry: radial (12 fold)
Reproduction: reproduces sexually though capable of asexual
reproduction, all hermaphrodites, lays eggs
Hydrodiscids belong to a group of monothecians characterised
primarily by the lack of legs, instead using waves of motion on its soft oral
surface to move. This group, known as stomatopds, tends to be rather flat in
shape, especially the aquatic hydrodiscids.
Hydrodiscids spend their time eating small food particles
off the floors of riverbeds and lakes, although they’re also comfortable on the
surface, coming up occasionally for air or in search of food. They can survive
without surfacing for quite some time, however; not only are they able to trap
air in a space between their exoskeleton and their flesh, but they’re capable
of breathing through the skin of their mouth, much like some species of non-exoskeletid
amphibians do over their whole bodies.
Since monothecians tend to have very hard, thick shells,
hydrodiscids are difficult for predators to crack open. However, many have
learned to focus on striking its vulnerable underside to kill it, although since
it’s usually against the ground only animals with the coordination to lift them
over can do this. This is no problem for intelligent animals like Hyloarctus and Molitor, but it can cause difficulty for others. Still, they have a
relatively low rate of predation compared to many other animals.
In spite of this, they have been endangered in the past due
to overhunting by the planet’s only known native intelligent species, as their
shells have been highly valuable to them as food plates since ancient times.
Even compared to other stomapods their shells are well sought after, thanks not
only to what is seen as an ideal size and shape, but also the lack of nostril
holes that need to be filled. Luckily, conservation efforts that began after
the start of the environmentalism era have led to a rise in the population of
these animals.
As one would imagine, their shape poses difficulty for this
species when it comes to mating, since like most exoskeletids their
reproductive organs are located on their backs. In some stomatopod lineages,
the individual taking on the role of the female will mount another individual
and take semen directly into their birth canal, but caudal tail-to-tail mating
is far more common. Arhis potamus like
most related species, possesses a penis, something that – while uncommon – has
developed independently in a number of plurafistulate groups (especially in
monothecians). While the penis is usually tightly wrapped up inside the animals
shell, during mating it extends to sizes several times that of its body to
reach another individuals cloaca.
 |
| Top view of Arhis potamus |
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Monothecia
Order: Stomapoda
Family: Hydrodiscidae
Genus: Arhis
Species: A. potamus
Jungle “Lake
Cucumber”
(Cucumis lacus)
Size: 20 -
30 cm long
Diet: dead
plant and animal matter on river or lake floors
Habitat: Rainforest
floor near freshammonia, or in rivers, lakes, or ponds
Colouration:
Green, with black stripes at the intersection of segments
Symmetry:
Close to radial (10 fold), but with flat stomach (larvae are fully radial)
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs in bodies of ammonia. Larval stage is
fully aquatic.
On land, the majority of plurafistulates lacking
exoskeletons are amphibious; without a protective outer casing, they need to
keep their skin moist or risk serious dehydration. One such animal is Cucumis lacus, or the “lake cucumber”.
They crawl on their bellies, which led them to deviate slightly from their
ancestral radial symmetry, with one side of their body flattened and adapted
for locomotion against the ground.
They spend most of their time close to or in freshammonia,
including the lakes, ponds, and streams common in the region. They breathe through their skin, and can
breathe just as well underammonia as they do on land, obtaining all the
hydrogen they need from the ammonia. They rarely ever swim, instead crawling
along the river floor with their undulating bellies just as they do on land.
Slow and weak, lake cucumbers have very little means of
defending themselves against predators, so have developed a bright green
colouration to warn predators of their poison. This poison rarely kills
predators straight away, but will put smaller animals’ lives at risk later on.
Although larger animals also avoid the poison of lake cucumbers, they are
rarely killed by it; in fact the native sapient species often uses it as a
recreational drug.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Clade: Geophida
Class: Monopleumata
Order: Platygastaria
Family: Pharmacidae
Genus: Cucumis
Species: C. lacus
Casor
(Casor casor)
Size: 1 meter from tail tip to mouth, 1 meter arm span
Diet: meat
Habitat: rainforest canopy
Colouration: brown, dark brown
Symmetry: ten-fold radial symmetry
Reproduction: sexual, all hermaphrodites, lays eggs
These solitary carnivores spend most of their time hanging
from hard tree branches, staying perfectly still and waiting for suitable prey
to pass underneath. As soon as they see the right moment, the Casor releases its grip on the branch
and drops straight through the tree canopy until it reaches its target below,
grabbing it with its ten arms. If the impact itself doesn’t kill it, the Casor will use its claws and arm spines
to finish the job. Once its prey is dead they then use their sharp hook-like
tongue teeth to rip apart the meat and pull it into their mouth. Since they’re
usually well hidden behind branches and foliage, waiting far above their prey,
animals rarely have a chance to escape.
These are territorial animals, preferring not to interact
outside of mating and childrearing. However, there are often territorial
disputes between two individuals, which are settled through fights while
hanging from trees. Their claws, arm spikes, and teeth are used, and they
usually aim for the unprotected oral skin. A great deal of wrestling is also
involved, and they will attempt to pull their opponent from the tree branch
where it will possibly be injured if it doesn’t fall properly. There are even
documented cases where one Casor will
drop onto another unsuspecting individual trespassing in its territory.
Casor has fairly
well developed chemical senses, and will use specialised milk secreted from its
tongue to mark its territory to other members of its species. When they’re not
hunting – that is, staying still and waiting for prey to pass by – they can
often be seen moving across the jungle canopy rubbing their tongues against
tree branches. Any passing Casor will
detect the other individuals scent with taste receptors on the hairs of its
feet, letting it know that someone has already claimed the area.
Their most common means of locomotion is to inch themselves
across a tree branch, with their prehensile tail gripping it at one end, and
their legs gripping the branch at the other end. They usually keep the tips of
their claws raised off the tree branches in order to preserve their sharpness.
With a wide arm-span, Casor
is able grasp a wide range of prey of various sizes, and since they possess
good colour vision this means many animals need to be well camouflaged. Running
from these animals is rarely successful, so avoiding their attention is usually
the best survival strategy.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Lactilinguida
Subclass: Plumalia
Order: Acuta
Family: Casoridae
Genus: Casor
Species: C. casor
Stripe-tailed Zebra
Snake
(Zebrophis grammourus)
Diet: leaves,
small fruit, tube bugs, moss
Habitat: rainforest
canopy
Colouration:
purple
Symmetry:
Radial symmetry (eight fold) (although their markings deviate from this
symmetry)
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs. Has a fully aquatic larval stage.
Like the lake cucumber, Zebrophis
grammourus, or the zebra snake, is one of the planet’s exoskeleton-less
amphibians. Unlike the lake cucumber, Zebrophis
spends the majority of its time in trees, possessing a long body well adapted
to their arboreal lifestyle, as well as retaining their ancestral radial
symmetry.
Although they spend less time in bodies of ammonia than some
other amphibians, they still need to remain moist, so will usually be found
quite close to lakes and rivers where it’s humid. In drier weather, they are
far less active, and will spend more time in tight places where they’re safe
from moisture loss, or even in lakes or ponds. Luckily, it rarely gets too dry
in the rainforests they inhabit – even during the dry season there is still
plenty of rainfall – but if they were taken into plains or deserts they’d be
unlikely to survive long.
Their lack of an exoskeleton makes them a particularly
favoured target for casorids and adriptorids, so they are well camouflaged,
with purple skin allowing them to blend in with the surrounding purple foliage,
and dark stripes and dots to break up their form. In spite of having small
brains and very low intelligence, zebra snakes are quite social, living together
in groups. So their stripes not only serve as camouflage but also allows them
to recognise other individuals as belonging to the same species. It also plays
a role in sexual selection, as imperfections in their patterning can indicate
bad health.
Their social nature is likely an adaptation to protect them from predation, as they’re more likely to spot a predator in large groups. They are mute and make no effort to alert other members of the group, but individuals will usually keep their eyes on each other and escape if they see any other zebra snakes running.
Like other Amthalassan amphibians, they lay eggs lacking
hard shells, from which small fully aquatic larvae hatch. Unlike many other
amphibians Zebrophis doesn’t lay its
eggs in ponds or lakes. Instead, eggs are kept in nests they build within
trees, which they wrap in a kind of silk zebra snakes are able to produce from
their mouths. These silk sacks are filled with ammonia, keeping the eggs moist
until they eventually hatch. Chemical pheromones will be released when the
embryo has almost completed its development, signifying to the parent that it
will soon be ready to hatch. Once it has reached this stage, the zebra snake
will place the egg sack in a body of ammonia, ripping the silk open with its
teeth. Here they will spend their early years, until they’re ready to move onto
land and into the trees.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Clade: Geophida
Class: Monopleumata
Order: Serpentiodea
Family: Sericidae
Genus: Zebrophis
Species: Z.
grammourus
Jungle Tree Lethargid
(Ramiflagellum arborealis)
Size: 1 metre in length, including tail (which makes up 60%
of its body length)
Diet: meat, often preys on animals larger than itself
Habitat: rainforest canopy
Colouration: purplish brown to purple
Symmetry: bilateral, originally evolved from animals with 12 fold radial symmetry
Reproduction: sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs.
Like most lethargids, these animals don’t chase down their
prey, instead preferring to use their venomous tongues to subdue them. Like the
related species Ramiflagellum solum,
they cover their tongues in their toxic stomach acid, and once their prey is
poisoned they’ll stalk them from a distance until they’re weak enough to kill.
They’re somewhat bigger than their eastern cousins, in part
because the heavier foliage allows larger individuals to remain adequately
concealed from prey, but also because the larger kelp trees can support more
weight before their buoyancy is overcome.
R. arborealis is
far more adapted to an arboreal life than R.
solum, as they live far higher in the tree canopy and face a greater risk
of injury if they fall, and spend comparatively little time on the ground. With
an elongated body, stretched out limbs, and a long prehensile tail, they are
much more proficient climbers.
They can take down prey far larger than themselves, and
there are even documented cases of them killing Hyloarctus, though this is rare.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Venatores
Order: Insectilupiformes
Family: Lethargidae
Genus: Ramiflagellum
Species: R. arborealis
Echinolepid
(Echinus medispina)
Size: 10 -
15 cm tall
Diet: Moss,
leaves
Habitat: Rainforest
floor
Colouration:
Brown to light brown or yellow brown
Symmetry:
Twelve fold radial symmetry
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs.
It is common for monothecians – animals without tail or
torso joints in their exoskeleton – to use the space that would otherwise be
occupied by support muscle for thicker, more protective shells. Many
monothecian lineages, such as echinolepids, have additional defensive
adaptations; these small animals in particular possess numerous spines along
their shells, making the consumption of them particularly unpleasant. Like
plumalian feathers, they have developed from the small sensory hairs commonly
covering exoskeletons, although they have become much harder and chitinous.
These spikes reduces their chances of predation, as many predators will avoid
them in favour of prey more comfortable to eat, although they are still very
prone to being eaten in spite of this. In particular, Hyloarctus will crack them open with its jaws before separating out
the flesh from the shell with its tongue, allowing them to eat the animals comfortably.
These animals are fairly reclusive, preferring a solitary
life rarely interacting with other members of its species outside of mating.
However, they are by no means territorial, and will rarely ever attempt to
fight other individuals they come across. Usually, other echinolepids are treated
with a degree of indifference, though they usually keep their distance from
each other. When not feeding on moss and leaves, they spend a lot of their time
hiding in burrows dug by other animals, usually abandoned molitorid nests. They
are very poor at burrowing themselves, with limbs poorly suited for the task.
Like many other monothecians, their inflexible tails make
cloaca to cloaca mating an awkward task, so echinolepids possess long, flexible
penises for depositing sperm into the cloaca of a receptive mate. These penises
are usually curled up in the animal’s shell, only leaving through the cloaca
during mating. They will later find an abandoned burrow to lay their eggs,
leaving them there after lightly burying them and never coming back. Like many
other monothecians they don’t look after their young, who are able to take care
of themselves the moment they hatch. However, unlike many other cold blooded
exoskeletids like sectitestans, most of whom keep growing throughout their
lives, shedding exoskeleton plates as they do so, monothecians stop growing
once they reach a certain stage of development. This allows their shells to
thicken and harden, whereas in earlier stages of their life it’s regularly shed
to accommodate their growth, never lasting long enough to fully mineralise. Because
of this echinolepids are particularly vulnerable as juveniles, and will spend
much more time hiding in thick vegetation or burrows than as adults.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Monothecia
Order: Eurypoda
Family: Echinolepidae
Genus: Echinus
Species: E.
medispina
Armatid
(Gibbatesta teres)
Size: 12 -
17 cm tall
Diet: Leaves,
moss, fungi and fruit
Habitat: Rainforest
floor
Colouration:
brown and grey
Symmetry:
Twelve fold radial symmetry
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs.
Possessing an exoskeleton, most exoskeletids are fairly well
protected. Some animals have taken this a step further, developing hard shells
as a result of exoskeleton thickening and mineralisation. Armatids are one such
group, but they’re distinct from other lineages that independently developed
this adaptation in that they’re able to fully retreat into their shells,
tucking their legs inside. This feature was inherited by their ancestors, who
were able to extend and contract by folding their exoskeleton plates over each
other. This likely developed to allow them to reach food while also remaining
compact and hidden from predators most of the time. Their exoskeletons had to
be softer than usual so the plates could bend to properly fit under each other,
which put their ancestors at risk. With a weak exoskeleton, it was only natural
that they would develop a shell for protection.
Armatids keep their eggs in a nest which they usually watch
over, but once they have hatched they do little to look after them. Luckily, as
is the case for most sectitestans, they’re fairly independent at an early age,
with well-developed instincts. Armatid shells are quite hard even at birth, so
even their young are well protected from
predators, although they spend a great deal of time hiding in their early
years. Still, even with their defences very few make it to adulthood, either
eaten by animals that can bite into the shells of young armatids, such as Hyloarctus, or dying of some other
cause. Luckily, they give birth to a very large number of offspring, allowing
the population to remain stable.
These animals are herbivorous, with a diet that consists
largely of the moss and fungus found on the forest floor. The teeth of their
outer tongues are well adapted for this diet, with spade-like teeth near the
ends for cutting plant matter, and numerous blunt molars further up their
tongues for grinding it up in their mouths. Unlike other animals that eat food
off the ground, namely herbivorans, they lack proboscises, but since these
small animals don’t hold their limbs erect below their bodies their mouths are
close enough to the ground these aren’t needed. When reaching leaves or fruit
further away, they will reach out with their long tongues to grasp it, tearing
it from the tree.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Clade: Geophida
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Sectitestae
Order: Extendabilia
Family: Armatidae
Genus: Gibbatesta
Species: G. teres
Green River Molitorid
/ “Trap builders”
(Molitor fluminalis)
Size: 1.2 -
1.4 metres in height
Diet: omnivorous;
eats small to medium sized animals, supplementing its diet with fruit, seeds,
and small tube bugs or mobile plant gametophytes
Habitat: rainforest
floor, near rivers
Colouration:
dull brown exoskeleton, bright green and blue feathers. Are known to cover
their feathers in mud when they want to hide
Symmetry:
ten-fold radial symmetry
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs, which are kept in underground nests when
not warmed in pouch
Molitorids are very intelligent animals found in the jungles
and woodland throughout the southern continent, as well as a few other
environments. They are highly resourceful, using a number of creative methods
to catch prey that allow them to overcome their relative lack of natural
weapons. One of their most noteworthy hunting tactics is the construction of
traps. These are usually made by rearranging branches to build structures that
will ensnare unsuspecting animals, with kelp trees function as rope, or using
branches and leaves to disguise holes in the ground.
As fossorids, most molitorids keep their eggs in nests
within burrows underground, though as adults they spend most of their time on
the surface unlike more basal members of the group. Their hands are very poorly
suited for digging, and are instead better adapted to walking on the surface
and grasping the logs and twigs used in construction. Because of this, they’re
unable to build their nest burrows with their bare hands; instead, they rely on
stone tools to dig with, holding them in their dextrous hands to scoop away
dirt.
Their muscular arms are useful for the placement of heavy
logs and branches, and their tough exoskeleton protects them from the impact if
anything falls as they’re in the middle of construction. Their exoskeleton is
particularly thick near the part of their body their brain ring sits, acting as
a biological helmet, and fluids within their neural segments further reduce the
impact. Molitor fluminalis, as one of
the larger molitorids, tends to deal with particularly heavy branches to build
traps that will ensnare even the biggest animals, so these adaptations are
crucial.
Like all fossoirds, they possess enlarged sensory hairs that
function similarly to whiskers, but unlike other fossorids their primary
function isn’t to help them navigate in the darkness of underground burrows,
but rather aids their ability to sense nearby logs as they’re busy building for
safety. Thanks to this they rarely fall into their own traps (or those of other
molitorids) even at night, and will avoid knocking things over during
construction. The hairs on their feet are also particularly well developed to
increase their sense of touch, improving their manual dexterity.
They occasionally build structures similar to beaver dams,
using them to redirect the river current to create a moat around mounds in the
ground. This will deter many predators such as Hyloarctus, which are poor swimmers. Most molitorids aren’t
particularly proficient swimmers either, but they will often use bridges to go
across that only individuals on the island can operate, lowering them for any
member of their group wishing to cross. When there’s a bigger gap of ammonia
between the island and the rest of the forest, a system of floats is usually
used to pull them across, operated with kelp tree ropes.
These are very opportunistic feeders, eating a wide range of
plants and animals. When it comes to meat, they prefer to eat folivorids like Hinneleus, but will eat virtually any
animal they find in their traps. The shells of Armatids and Echinolepids make
them hard to eat for most animals, but with their advanced tool use ability Molitor has little difficulty. Using
sharp stones, they scoop the flesh out of these animals from their soft oral
undersides, eating it.
The genus Molitor is
characterised by the presence of a number of adaptations to its swampy
environment. This includes the presence of membranes inside their ear holes
that are able to close over to prevent liquid from entering when they’re wading
in shallow ammonia. Since plurafistulates have their ears on their legs, even
walking in ankle high ammonia can cause issues for many species, clogging their
ears.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Lactilinguida
Subclass: Plumalia
Order: Fossorida
Family: Molitoridae
Genus: Molitor
Species: Molitor
fluminalis
River Basin Hyloarctus
(Hyloarctus pachysoma telmatodytes)
Size: 3.4 m from head to tail tip, 1.4 m at shoulder
Diet: they
eat meat, but supplement their diet with a great deal of vegetation
Habitat: Rainforest
floor
Colouration:
dark brown
Symmetry:
Bilateral
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs.
These large, omnivorous predators can regularly be seen
roaming the rainforest floor, picking small nuts, seeds and berries from trees
as they keep their eyes out for prey. One
of the most noteworthy features of Hyloarctus,
shared by other magnilupids, is their extremely powerful lower facial graspers.
These two facial graspers developed from the fusion of two separate pairs, and
are controlled by the extremely powerful muscles filling the animal’s head and
neck shells. In the much smaller minolupids, the two lower facial graspers
aren’t fused, which is one of the most easily noticeable distinction between
these two related families. Magnilupids also lack the serrations minolupids
possess on the insides of their facial graspers, instead relying more on biting
force.
While most magnilupids are very muscular animals, Hyloarctus is especially so, with convex
portions of its exoskeleton accommodating greater muscle growth. The
exoskeleton of Hyloarctus is also
very thick and tough, allowing the muscles to apply greater force to it without
putting the skeleton under undue strain. This makes these animals especially
powerful, and they tend to rely largely on their strength to take down prey. Although
their powerful muscles allow them to run in spite of their large size, they are
still much poorer runners than many smaller and less bulky venators, so they
tend to rely on ambushing unsuspecting prey and attacking them quickly rather
than chasing them down.
Although they are able to take down fairly large prey, they also prey on smaller animals and have a very varied diet, eating whatever’s available to support their huge size. Given that a large portion of their weight is metabolically active muscle and heavy exoskeleton, their energy requirements are quite high. They catch fish and tube bugs with their tongues, and crack open the shells of echinolepids and armatids with their powerful lower facial graspers.
These are solitary animals, and they’re highly territorial,
with fights regularly breaking out when a Hyloarctus
intrudes in another individual’s expansive territory. Their facial
graspers, as well as the six claws on each of their front and middle limbs, are
used in combat. Outside of fighting, interacting with members of the same
species is mostly limited to mating and childrearing. Pairs are mostly
monogamous, although they never bond for life, and will look after their young
together. They take good care of their young, and stay with them until they’re
old enough to look after themselves. After this, the mating pair split up, and
their offspring leave to live on their own. They tend to have only one to three
young at a time, focusing on ensuring the survival of just a few children over
having many.
Although still large, this animal is smaller than many other
magnilupids, allowing the cramped, heavily forested environment to more easily
accommodate it, and preventing it from sinking into the sludgy mud that fills
much of the area. This smaller size doesn’t take significantly from its
strength.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Venatores
Order: Insectilupiformes
Family: Magnilupidae
Genus: Hyloarctus
Species: H. pachysoma
Subspecies: H. p. telmatodytes
Hinnuleus silvestris
Size: 1 –
1.1 metres on average, not including tail.
Diet: leaves,
sometimes moss and fungus
Habitat: rainforest
floor
Colouration:
dull red, purple, black and brown in various patterns that break up its form
Symmetry:
eight fold radial symmetry
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs.
This Hinneleus
species has a much longer tail than its woodland cousins, using its tail
grasper to feed off of higher lying foliage. Compared to its neck, its body and
tail is comparatively small, allowing it to hide effectively in spite of its
long reach. Usually, when predators are near, this Hinneleus species will wrap its tail close to its body so as not to
draw attention to itself.
With the ground covered in a lot of low lying branches,
moss, and large fungi, this species is more agile than most of its relatives,
with longer and more slender legs. The joint structure of Hinneleus doesn’t allow their legs to be especially flexible, at
least compared to other, more active folivorids, but when hiding fails they’re
at least swift and nimble enough to escape from danger in the densely forested
environment.
Most Hinneleus
species, with the exception of the far eastern variety, are well camouflaged;
this is especially important for H.
silvestris, with keen sighted Casorids lurking in the tree canopy above it.
This is the likely reason this species is more feathery than the woodland and
savannah species, as the feathers break up its silhouette better than its bare
exoskeleton would.
Like most folivorids, their diet largely consists largely of
leaves, although they have far less competition than the woodland species.
Without any Virgata or Procera relatives, who prefer more open
spaces than exist in the swampy seasonal rainforest, H. silvestris have a far higher range of heights available for
feeding from, hence the longer neck. Most other herbivores in the area are
arboreal, eating leaves and fruit far higher than H. silvestris can reach, or graze fungi and simple moss on the
forest floor.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Lactilinguida
Subclass: Plumalia
Order: Herbivora
Family: Folivoridae
Genus: Hinnuleus
Species: H. silvestris
Microsalitor orientalis
Size: 3 cm
Diet: tube
bugs, mobile plant gametophytes
Habitat: arboreal
Colouration:
dark brown or black
Symmetry:
seven fold radial symmetry.
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs.
These animals belong to a group of small monothecians called
crustaceiformes. Unlike most plurafistulates, crustaceiformes possess open
circulatory systems, and many species even lack hearts or respiratory pigments
in their blood. Their smaller size and low metabolic rate make a more advanced
circulatory system unnecessary, so there was little selective pressure against
the loss of these features, and retaining them was often more costly than it benefited
them.
Many crustaceiformes are partially or fully aquatic, and
occupy a similar niche to crabs on earth, even resembling them to an extent,
reaching a similar size range to crabs. Some lineages even possess gills. Microsalitor is one of the few fully
terrestrial species, spending its time almost entirely in trees. These animals
are also fairly small compared to other crustaceiformes, averaging just three
centimetres in height, which, coupled with their exoskeletons, makes the family
they belong to closely resemble the arthropods of earth.
Microsalitor orientalis
is a very active carnivore, hunting tube bugs like Dynamopus in tree branches. Their well-developed legs and light
weight allow them to jump great distances compared to their body size, leaping
from branch to branch with ease. This adaptation is invaluable for hunting in
their arboreal habitat, allowing them to not only move around easily, but
spring out from nowhere to attack unsuspecting prey.
Microsalitor is
among the crustaceaformes that lack lungs, instead allowing air to enter their
bodies through numerous holes in their exoskeleton, from which they travel
through trachea that stretch throughout their bodies. They also lack
well-defined hearts, which have likely slowly atrophied throughout their
evolutionary history, instead relying in muscular contractions of their blood
vessels.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Monothecia
Order: Crustaceiformes
Family: Microskeletidae
Genus: Microsalitor
Species: M.
orientalis
Insectivorus maculosus
Size: 55
-75 centimetres in height
Diet: tube
bugs, mobile plant gametophytes, and other tiny insect-like creatures. Supplements diet with seeds
Habitat: rainforest
floor
Colouration:
purple or reddish brown, with black spots and splodges
Symmetry:
8 fold radial symmetry
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs.
Insectivorids, unlike many of their relatives, eat very
little plant matter, instead having a primarily carnivorous diet consisting of
tiny non-plurafistulates. Their proboscis clearly marks them as belonging to
the same order as muscivorids and folivorids, but these appendages are much
longer and thinner to best accommodate their diets.
With pointed pincer-like teeth at the end of their
proboscis, Insectivorus maculosus can
often be seen picking gametophytes out of holes in trees of the Haploformica genus, or catching tiny
flightless tube bugs. They are small compared to other herbivorans, and very
well camouflaged, with purple-brown to red-brown colouration and black spots
all over their exoskeleton and feathers; even their proboscises – homologous
with tongues – share this pigmentation.
Unlike other herbivorans, who can often be found in large
herds, Insectivorus can be rather
reclusive, although they do exhibit quite complex social behaviour whenever
they do interact with other members of their species.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Lactilinguida
Subclass: Plumalia
Order: Herbivora
Family: Insectivoridae
Genus: Insectivorus
Species: I. maculosus
Branch hopper
(Dynamopus dendrodytes)
Size: 2 cm
long
Diet: bits
of plant matter
Habitat: Rainforest
canopy
Colouration:
brown
Symmetry:
bilateral
Reproduction:
reproduces sexually between males and females. Lays eggs, which hatch small
worm-like larvae
This tube bug uses its powerful hind limbs to jump from branch
to branch in its arboreal environment, allowing it to quickly escape predators.
This is especially useful for evading Microsalitor,
which possesses a similar adaptation. Using its quick reflexes, Dynamopus is often lucky enough to spot
these monothecians coming towards them, and will leap out of the way before
they’re caught. Microsalitor, unable
to change direction in mid-air, will be forced to continue on its course.
Another adaptation, by no means unique to Dynamopus, is their powerful, fast moving
tails, capable of lifting these animals into the air by moving in a rapid
helical motion. Often, after leaping from danger, they will then take off into
flight and move to a distant branch, relatively safe from the threat they’ve
escaped. Taking off into flight isn’t as rapid as their jumping, so they will
rarely fly straight away to escape danger without leaping away first.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Fistularia
Class: Fistulacimices
Order: Hexapodidea
Family: Heliura
Tribe: Dynamopodini
Genus: Dynamopus
Species: D.
dendrodytes
Caudarostrum silvestre
Size: 40 -
60 cm long, not counting tail
Diet: seeds,
leaves, tube bugs, mobile plant gametophytes, sometimes worms
Habitat: rainforest
canopy
Colouration:
red-brown to purple exoskeleton, brown feathers; moss and algae tends to cover
their body, giving their feathers a purple and red appearance as well as their
exoskeleton, disguising their true colouration.
Symmetry:
eight fold radial symmetry
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs.
As well as Megarhamphus,
there is a second caudarostrin species in this rainforest; Caudarostrum silvestre. Since they’d run into competition with
their relatives if they ate fruit, they need to rely on a diet of leaves and
seeds even moreso than their cousins to the east. They also supplement their
diet with small insect-like animals like tube bugs. Many of the features this
species is recognisable for are a result of this diet, with a long, thin beak
to reach through the holes in which many plants store their seeds, as well as
for catching small tube bugs or worms.
These animals are generally slow moving, although their
tails and proboscises tend to be more energetic than the rest of their body,
able to move relatively quickly if they need to. This is particularly useful
for catching bugs. With Casor high in
the canopy overhead, camouflage is particularly important for C. silvestre compared to other
caudarostrins, even compared to Megarhamphus
who are much faster and able to escape danger more easily. These animals also
tend to be rather solitary compared to their relatives, so they’re less likely
to be warned of danger by other members of their group like Megarhamphus.
To keep itself better hidden, many small plants will grow
through the gaps in these animals’ exoskeletons, breaking up its form and
helping it blend in with its forested environment better – especially if it
keeps still, as this species often does. Nutrients they secrete encourage this
foliage to grow, and they will regularly use their beaks to plant seeds. Much moss
and algae also grows on their exoskeletons and in their feathers, further
aiding in their camouflage. If any plants are growing somewhere inconvenient,
the animal will remove it with their thin beak during its regular grooming
sessions.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Lactilinguida
Subclass: Plumalia
Order: Herbivora
Family: Folivoridae
Subfamily: Caudarostrinae
Tribe: Caudarostrini
Genus: Caudarostrum
Species: C. silvestre
Eastern Jungle Potamodyte
(Remipes orientalis)
Size: 2 - 2.3 metres in height, not including tail
Diet: omnivorous; they eat algae, river weed, fish, moss and
leaves
Habitat: rainforest rivers
Colouration: bright yellow feathers, although this can vary
between subspecies, pale brown exoskeleton
Symmetry: eight fold radial symmetry
Reproduction: reproduces sexually, all hermaphrodites, lays
eggs
Closely related to the highly successful and diverse
herbivorans, potamodytes fill a large variety of aquatic niches, with some
families even making the transition to becoming fully aquatic. Ramipes, however, is semiaquatic, and
like most potamodytes dwells in freshammonia.
Like most plumalian lactilinguids, potamodytes possess
feathers, although their feathers cover a larger portion of their bodies than
in most other lineages and are specifically adapted to trapping air. This layer
of air between the feathers and exoskeleton provides the animals with a degree
of buoyancy, very useful for the river dwelling environment Ramipes inhabits. In addition to this,
the buoyancy of potamodytes is furthered by the presence of large air sacks
throughout their body; these air sacks are present in many lactilinguids, but
are nowhere near as large in other groups (except some species of pteroceph) as
they are in potamodytes, where it fills a large portion of their body cavity.
These adaptations allow Ramipedes to
swim at the top of the ammonia with no effort needed to stay afloat, although Ramipedes is very bad at diving,
spending most of its time at the surface.
Since they’re only semiaquatic, these animals don’t spend their whole lives in rivers and lakes. But when they do come out onto dry land, they’re very clumsy, with their rudder-like legs ill-suited for walking. However, they rarely need to move fast, as their large size protects them from most predators.
Like herbivorans, potamodytes are very social animals, Ramipes being no exception. They can
always be found together in close knit groups, and engage in communal grooming
and singing to bond. There’s a rough hierarchy, although it isn’t that strict,
with more colourful individuals with better singing ability tending to take the
lead.
Ramipes possesses a
number of long straw-like tongues, which can be used to extract air from above
the ammonia whenever their nostrils are below the surface. Since this species
rarely goes deep, and their nostrils are quite high up on their body, this
function isn’t as useful as it is for many of its relatives. However, they do
use their tongues to catch fish underammonia, which supplement their otherwise
herbivorous diets.
Although their eyes are located in a similar position to
most plurafistulates, they’re placed relatively low on their body compared to
some of its relatives, which often puts them below the ammonia when they let
air out of their lungs to reduce buoyancy. This feature aids in their fish
hunting, allowing the animals to watch them beneath the surface.
Unlike many herbivorans, most potamodytes, including Ramipes, don’t build nests. Instead,
their eggs are kept in their pouches until they hatch. Members of the group
usually share in the looking after of eggs, allowing individuals to leave the
group’s territory without risking their young coming to harm. When their eggs
do hatch they aren’t yet able to swim, and are entirely dependent on their
mother, spending their time in their mothers pouch or the pouch of other
adults.
Ramipes can easily
recognise its own eggs from their colour, since they all have a distinctive
pattern, so eggs are rarely mixed up when they’re shared between individuals.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Lactilinguida
Subclass: Plumalia
Order: Potamodyta
Family: Remipedidae
Genus: Remipes
Species: R. orientalis
Proto-floater
(Acanthoglossa megalosoma)
Size: 15 cm
from mouth to tail base
Diet: nectar,
leaves, insect-like creatures (tube bugs, gametophytes, ect.), worms, seeds
Habitat: rainforest
canopy
Colouration:
orange-brown
Symmetry:
Bilateral, evolved from animals with twelve fold symmetry
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs.
Floaters (or folivesicates) and their hydrogen sacks exhibit
one of the greatest degrees of symbiotic evolution than any other two
multicellular organisms on Amthalassa, the plant and animal acting as one
single being. Equisorids, or proto-floaters, give us some clue as to their
evolution, being the most basal members of the group. They are thought to
closely resemble the first floaters, and fossil evidence seems to confirm this,
making the study of these animals invaluable to those researching the development
of this group.
Unlike “true floaters”, proto-floaters don’t have hydrogen
sacks growing out of their stomachs, with roots extending into their bodies. Instead, they
simply borrow the hydrogen sacks of kelp trees after finding one of an
appropriate size and ride them, using the leaf as a flotation device. They
possess a concave stomach to accommodate these leaves, and are bilaterally
symmetrical, both of which are characteristic of all floaters.
It seems likely that the first floaters initially floated in
the same manner as equisorids, tearing off leaves and mounting them for
buoyancy. They were likely very small at this stage, in spite of the large
sizes modern floaters can reach, and almost certainly arboreal.
As these animals moved to drier, more tree-scarce
environments, the leaves may have been kept alive longer with nutrients
secreted from these animal’s belies. This is the case for many proto-floaters
alive today, namely those inhabiting plains, who often have to re-use the same
leaf. Kelp tree leaves can survive after being severed from the tree – it is
possible to replant cuttings – so they can last surprisingly long like this,
provided they are given sufficient nutrients.
Being used this way by floaters is very beneficial to the
plants themselves since, if a seed bearing part is taken with the leaf, this
can greatly aid in seed dispersal. This meant kelp trees better suited for use
by floaters had a higher chance of passing on their genes, and were favoured by
natural selection.
Over time, these leaves likely grew more dependent on ancient proto-floaters, and these floaters began devoting more and more energy to keeping them alive, until they eventually began to take root in the animals. There was probably a stage where these plants could both grow on the underside of floaters and in the ground, but now the hydrogen sacs of floaters are entirely dependent on the animal they’re attached to, unable to live anywhere else or even reproduce without the aid of floaters.
One of the most obvious features setting Acanthoglossa apart from other proto-floaters
is their straw-like tongue, well suited for their diet consisting largely of
nectar. Unlike many other animals with proboscises, such as herbivorans and
potamodytes, the teeth of the Acanthoglossa
proboscis is on the outside, due to the way their tongues fused to form it.
While it’s useful for herbivorous animals to have teeth
inside their proboscises for the grinding of plant matter, Acanthoglossa only uses its proboscises for the consumption of
liquid, so this would be pointless. Its proboscis isn’t even large enough to
accommodate much food in the first place. However, having teeth on the outside
allows it to be used just like regular plurafistulate radulae, with each tubular
tongue working together to grind up food. Other animals, like Foliovis or potamodytes, cannot use
their proboscises this way, depending instead on their unmodified tongues to
masticate food not taken in through a proboscis.
Unlike true floaters, Acanthoglossa
is able to walk and climb affectively with its legs (with the exception of
their facial graspers). In other floater lineages these limbs have become much
more rigid, functioning more as ribs than as legs. But Acanthoglossa spends a great deal of time holding on to no hydrogen
sack, instead moving around like an ordinary animal. This poses a disadvantage
when it comes to floating, as it is possible for it to lose its grasp and fall
off, but this allows the animal to be less dependent on kelp leaves.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Folivesicata
Order: Equisorida
Family: Acanthoglossidae
Genus: Acanthoglossa
Species: A.
megalosoma
Adriptor
(Adriptor velox)
Size: 50
centimetres long on average
Diet: small
animals
Habitat: rainforest
canopy
Colouration:
red-brown to orange-brown
Symmetry:
twelve fold radial symmetry
Reproduction:
sexual, all hermaphrodites. Lays eggs.
These carnivores hang from trees with their prehensile
tails, waiting for prey to approach before lashing out and attacking them with
their clawed limbs. Like armatids, Adriptor
has an extendable body, with test segments capable of overlapping each
other, but they lack the shells of their relatives. Instead of using this adaptation to conceal
themselves inside shells, they use it to stretch out to reach prey, waiting for
them with their body compressed and better hidden.
Taxonomic classification
Tree: Amthalassavitae
Domain: Parvigrana
Kingdom: Hydrogenia
Phylum: Plurafistulata
Superclass: Exoskeletida
Class: Sectitestae
Order: Extendabilia
Family: Adriptoridae
Genus: Adriptor
Species: Adriptor
velox
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