User:Deusx/notes

Deathbug

Summary

The deathbug, famously the subject of poetry by Arariax and often the focus of scientific debate, is believed by some to be the larval form of the burnfly. It is found mainly in the area surrounding the Evesque Valley vineyards and plantations, where it feeds mainly on animals which feed on grapes.

Anatomy

The body of the deathbug is composed of a series of wide, hard-shelled segments, usually numbering between six and twenty, with a dozen or so cilia-like feet distributed beneath each. The locomotion of a deathbug is extraordinarily swift, combining cilia action with a unique ability to compress its body like a spring for bursts of velocity. With documented reports of almost a quarter sugro-nanit per hour, deathbugs often strike much larger prey animals and retreat before they have a chance to react.

Deathbugs grow to be between 5 and 14 inanits in length, not including the tails. Most notable about the deathbug are its two stinger-tipped, whip-like tails, each producing a different form of venom. The first form causes an intense thirst for grapes and wine, while the second causes paralysis and often death.

The head of a deathbug presents a collection of piercing mouth parts, used to feed upon prey animals, as well as sensory organs used for navigation and finely tuned to the presence of grape juice and wine in the ichor of other animals.

Behavior and Diet

Primarily, deathbugs are nourished by sugars and compounds found in the lifeblood ichor of animals that have digested large quantities of grapes or fermented grape juice (i.e. wine). Grapes themselves are toxic to deathbugs, so they live in a parasitic relationship with other animals, needing their digestive systems to filter grape toxins.

Much of a deathbug's time is spent prowling for prey. When the deathbug has spotted another animal, it generally does one of two things: If it senses that the animal hasn't recently fed on grapes or wine, it attempts to strike with the first of its stingers, with the intent of inducing a hunger for grapes. However, if it senses that the animal has recently consumed grapes, it attempts to strike with the second of its stinger. If successful, the toxin from the second stinger will paralyze the animal, allowing the deathbug to feed in leisure upon the grape-rich ichor.

A strange, as yet unexplained property of the second venom of the deathbug, is that it has disproportionately greater effects on larger animals (such as we Ghyllians). While smaller creatures attacked by a deathbug can survive many cycles of being struck and fed upon, others experience almost immediate death. This explains the name given to the animal, historically.

Life cycle

Although many biologists believe the deathbug is the larval form of the burnfly, none have ever been able to reliably document a pupal stage for the burnfly. Many have claimed that the deathbug burrows underground to form a chrysalis, but to date, the discovery of a genuine chrysalis has never been reported. (Although, for a Quezloo or two, many town fair sideshows will provide a peek at an "amazing burnfly hatching" in progress.)

Accordingly, this remains a missing link in the deathbug/burnfly life cycle-- and indeed, many scholars vehemently deny that these two creatures are linked at all, especially since our own form of reproduction bears little resemblence to the life cycle proposed by deathbug researchers.

Commercial exploitation

Citations: Burnflies, Ghyllian reproduction