KT - 'Ntomology

KT - 'Ntomology


Or better, toying with invertebrates of Gehenna Phase.


Here is a "little" selection of insects and arachnids spread along the Mediterranean Erg. There is only a bunch of most curious bugs in the picture, with those one featuring in the story. It's likely other and eerier invertebrates may appear soon in further deviations. Meanwhile have fun with these. And sorry for simple description, I shall well finish it soon. Here a brief description (clockwise):


1) Bloody Suckroach (Vampyromylacris ulpina): the vampyre suckroach is a flying six-winged dictyopteran (i.e cockroach) occurring in Eastern Hemitethys and along Balakan lands (including Carpathians). A long tubuluar mouth sting resemble someway that of mosquitos to suck blood. It usually stings great mammals or reptiles, but it seems not to avoid man too.


2) Cenobite Carabus (Totenkopfia spinigera): a highly modified coleopteran with elongate "neck" and spiky thorax. Spikes and shocking colours warn it is highly uneatable.

3) Pain Processionary (Teratopoea mortifera): directly descending from widespread pine tree maggots, the pain processionary is a hairy and venomous caterpillar. Often bunches of hair form a long spine (with a poison groove along) with defensive role. As they become cocoons and then come out as adult, they appear as big as giant peacock moth. However so are larvas quite big and fearsome.

4) Lurker Tiger Ant (Sarcomyrma subdola): an endemic giant antlion mostly found in Syrna Highlands (former Corsica). Mostly occurring along ancient continental shelf, this rat-sized antlion builds complex traps alike its close relatives where several little mammals and reptiles use to fall.

5) Tyrrhenian Manticore (Tyrrhenohexapodus magnaghii): an unusual marine bug descending from mantis and with a very long abdomen with false appendages. It dwells warm shallow Tyrrhenian waters preying little invertebrates.

6) Toad Tarb (Phrynotarbus bufoides): a frog-sized tarantula-like spider of Northern Italy brackish ponds. The toad tarb disguises as a common frog and during mating season it preys harmless amphibians. Venom glands are located in the palps.

7) Troglodyte Tarb (Troglotarbus caecus): a cave-dwelling arachnid occurring in the depths of dried out seas. Ancient marine caves are dwelled by these arthropods where they have lost eyes because of cavern darkness but sometimes they can generate self-luminescence, attracting cavern bugs to plunder.

8) Scarlet Seizer (Antarachne cruoripicta): an eerie arachnid, halfway between a scorpion and a spider, occurring in Great Western Playas (former Sardinia Sea). Living in brackish lagoons, the seizer owns a highly paralysing serum to block preys.

9) Dwarf Girtab (Nannoscorpius pygmaeus): a small shallow sea scorpion occurring in Western Playas shores. It shows many similarity with horseshoe crabs except for scorpion-like opisthosoma.

10) Gopher Scorpion (Gekatobuthus talpa): it is a burrowing scorpion, widespread in Mediterranean Erg. As name suggests, this arachnid uses to burrow alike moles (or mole crickets). Venom spur is atrophied and employed in burrowing but it may still retain some gutter of venom.

11) Etrurian Crackspider (Etrurophryne pustulosa): a highly-poisonous tarantula with spiky and bumpy cuticle. Even exuvia can retain poison and it's better not touch. Occurring in New Etruria Valley (former Northern Tyrrhenian) it dwells in karst fissures of ancient sea floor.

12) Grey Serket (Haligraffias playae): a lagoon-dwelling scorpion with external gills and swimming appendages. Poison gland is well developed and quite painful. The Grey Serkets occurs in Great Western Playas.


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