User:Deusx/notes

Deathbug

• Another one of his poems, "The Deathbug", retells a story about his encounter with a deathbug in a style that has been copied ruthlessly since it was first penned.

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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 that feed on grapes.

Anatomy

• Twin stingers
  • First causes an intense thirst for grapes (and wine)
  • Second causes paralysis and death
• Piercing mouth parts, third external mandible

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.

Citations: Burnflies, Ghyllian reproduction