Horse Headed Squidn't

First discovered on a native fish market in the region of Lotharcan Miesjeta known as Vermilijë, a strange looking fish with a face only a mother could love and teeth that reminded of ancient 20th century caricatures instantly caught the attention of the researchers that saw it. They wished to buy the fish to further study it and, as was and still is pretty common, the salesman scammed the hell out of them. While the researchers that bought the fish have never confirmed the price they paid, it is rumored that they paid with a silver wristwatch or some other precious metal jewelry. What ever they might have traded the fish for, the salesman they bought it from had soon after bought out nearly every fisherman in the town, meaning that the price the researchers paid for the fish equated to several million in local currency.

The fish they bought would later be identified as a horse headed squidn't (Thlipsiodon bucephalus), a fish which is actually quite common in the tropical, subtropical and temperate waters of the Tinjis Ocean.

The peculiar teeth that caught the attention of those researchers are quite unique among nienktvissen due to the fact that they are large, blunt and globular, which is pretty much the opposite of the teeth that most nienktvissen have. These teeth, combined with the stomach content the researchers examined in their overpriced specimen led to the conclusion that horse headed squidn'ts are durophages, specializing in feeding on tough and armored prey.

As later live observations would confirm, the bulk of their diet consists of planktonic and nektonic pectinauts, which in many ways seem to fill ecological roles that the extinct ammonites did back on Earth in the Mesozoic period. Like these prehistoric cephalopods, pectinauts are extremely abundant in the oceans of Eryobis. It is therefore no wonder that creatures such as the Thlipsiodon would specialize in such an common and reliable food source.

Since the horse headed squidn't tends to stay near the surface and does not seem to dive more than a hundred meters below the waves, it has been able to become among the best studied nienktvissen to date.

These fish usually grow between 1 and 1.7 meters in length with a wingspan of roughly 80% that length. They only have two, long whiskers that sprout from the lower jaw. Autopsies have revealed that these barbels essentially serve to detect pressure changes and sound waves in the water. 

The seven gillslits of this fish are peculiar in that the exhausts seem to be angled to various degrees per individual slit. This is very likely evidence that nienktvissen use their gills as a way to steer and change direction. 

While not much is known about the mating habits of this species as yet, what observations have shown is that they exclusively happen at night at around 30 meters or below.

Despite being called the horse headed "squidn't", Thlipsiodon is not a member of the Teuthomorphichthyidae, better known as the "true squidn'ts". Its colloquial name is the result of early explorers giving animals that looked superficially similar the same name for the sake of simplicity.

Thlipsiodon is in fact not even that closely related to the true squidn'ts and rather came from a different lineage that convergently evolved a similar body shape. Unfortunate as it may be for classification, the name seems to have stuck.

Umbral Losqula

For those who have thalassophobia, Eryobis is a very pleasant place to be. While there may not be any true sharks present in the seas of this world, some would argue that the realm beneath the waves of Eryobis harbors creatures that are even more terrifying.

While squidn'ts tend to get a bad reputation because of one tragic incident that very early after the first explorers set to sea, they are typically quite harmless. The same can not be said for another type of nienktvis. 

The Pleuropristidae, commonly known as losqulas by the explorers, are a family of carnivorous nienktvissen that are ranked as being the most predatory among their kind. Most nienktvissen and squid'ts are known to feed on prey smaller than themselves that can be easily swallowed. Losqulas on the other hand, seem to have a preference for prey equally to- or larger than themselves. They often seem to specialize in shredding their prey to bits while its still alive. Their teeth are long, sharp and serrated and with the various tooth elements being able to independently from each other, losqulas excel at mincing their prey and inflicting great blood loss. 

That said, they do not shy away from scavenging and it is not uncommon to see them congregating around the carcass of a large deceased animal.

The umbral losqula (Teutharpax umbrosus) that occurs in the Voûlic Ocean south of Miesjeta is a large member of this family that can grow over 2.5 meters long. One might look at these creatures and presume they are awkward swimmers, but these fish are deceptively fast. With two very large frontal fins and four auxiliary posterior fins, umbral losqulas can reach over 30 km/h in short bursts of speed. This, combined with their inquisitive nature makes them quite a nuisance for divers, who nowadays always need to be armed whenever they go on a dive in the Voûlic Ocean.

Umbral losqulas have been observed often following boats to feed on scraps and to steal the harvest of fishermen and are known to hang around native port cities in the south of Miesjeta, occasionally taking their toll in the form of people, most often children, going for a swim.

What makes these fish so dangerous is the fact that they most often hunt around dusk and dawn when they are the least visible to the eye. While one could be forgiven for thinking losqulas do not come close to shore due to their morphology, these carnivores are very much capable of swimming on their sides to enter water as little as 50 centimeters deep.

Not much is known about the lifestyle of these losqulas. As of yet it is uncertain if they are sedentary, territorial or migrate between feeding grounds. What is known however is that they always seem to stick to the continental shelf and will not be encountered in the deep open ocean.

Lesser Sideray

All along the northern shorelines of tropical Miesjeta, you can find a most peculiar looking creature swimming through the sand. From a glance it resembles a Batomorph from Earth, better known as a ray, but the resemblance is only superficial.

Upon closer inspection the differences become more apparent. One anatomical trait that instantly determines this animal to not be a Batomorph is the fact it has gills on its "upper side". To those less knowledgeable on the anatomy of Batomorphs, there is another trait this Eryobian animal possesses that should make it clear that this no true ray.

The creature has but a singular eye on its entire body, adorned with a pupil possessing three prongs to form a "Y" shape. No vertebrate animal from Earth is known to naturally have such a trait. For this reason, many researchers refer to these ray like creatures as cyclopses. Unfortunately for them, the scientific name of Cylopoida is already taken by a group of copepod crustaceans from Earth. Instead, a name that is often used in addition to cyclops is sideray. There are also many researchers who prefer to refer to these creatures by their scientific name solely, as Monobatopsids.

Further research revealed Monobatopsids to actually not only be related to nienktvissen, but that they are actually very derived members of this group. In hindisight, it should have been quite obvious that siderays are nienktvissen. They share some key characteristics such as the lack of jaws, but presence of well developed plate like tooth elements. The six individual gillslits should also have been a dead giveaway since no other non-conodont animal on Eryobis possesses this trait. The presence of a number of barbels sprouting from the lips is also a strong indicator of their identity as nienktvissen.

So it became clear that cylopses are merely nienktvissen that opted for a demersal lifestyle by laying on their sides, but they are not born this way.

When siderays hatch from their eggs, they are extremely small and are virtually indistinguishable from other, related nienktvis larvae. For their first weeks of life, they develop much like other nienktvissen, gaining their characteristic large fins to propel themselves with and this stage, they possess two eyes, one on each side of the body.

But as they mature, they start changing. They start living closer to the seafloor and begin favoring one side over the other. Whether this is left or right usually differs per species or subfamily. They start living near the substrate and will instinctively hide in the sand. It is at this stage that the eye on the side that faces the seafloor starts atrophying until it is completely resorbed into the body.

Why this happens instead of the migration of the eye like is seen in Pleuronectiformes and Planosolincolans is unclear. One would be forgiven for thinking that the entirely cartilage "skulls" of nienktvissen would make such a migration easier than if the skull was bone.

One of the first aquatic animals to ever be encountered on Eryobis by explorers was the lesser sideray (Rajacyclops minor). This creature can commonly seen inhabiting the shallow coastal waters all along the northern coast of Bloëcan Miesjeta, which is ofcourse where the first landing site and colony were made.

It is a small critter, barely two hands wide and only a few centimeters thick. This makes it perfectly adapted for a life in the sand in waters where few predators can reach it.

Yet this little cyclops is often the largest predator in its sandy environment. It feeds on a plethora of invertebrates such as gastropods, sedentary bivalves, pectinauts, brachiopods and small llamplelgans. 

As with many sideray species, the lesser sideray possesses a three pronged pupil in its singular eye. It is thought that this peculiar shape helps siderays see from multiple angles. An imperative ability for an animal that spends most of its time hidden in the sand.

Common Vlagop

The common vlagop (Veleovoltus communis) is one of several species in the genus Veleovoltus that can be found in the Vyaris Ocean, but as its name suggests it is the most common. 

This small nienktvis often occurs in huge shoals of several thousand strong and undertakes long seasonal migrations between the continents of Miesjeta, Guralta and southern Tlèëa. Curiously, the seasonal behavior of this species is largely restricted to the populations that live north of the equator, while the populations south of the equator tend to be more sedentary. As of yet, no solid explanation for this phenomenon has been offered.

As small and abundant planktivores, these conodonts are near the base of many food-chains where they permanently occur and often become seasonal feasts along their migration route.

Being small than a human hand on average, there is a great many predators that will happily make a meal out of a vlagop.

This includes the native peoples of Eryobis, who often harvest these small fish by the dozens by casting nets. Human explorers and researchers are also no strangers to eating vlagops. These creatures are so common in the Vyaris Ocean that even our colonists are allowed to occasionally catch them.

One characteristic of vlagop that immediately catches one's eye is the "dorsal fin" that goes from the mouth to the second gillslit. This "fin" is actually a membrane that stretches from a single large cartilage reinforced barbel on the upper lip that permanently stands upright.

It is thought that this fin serves to stabilize the vlagop as it swims, although it does appear that there are surprisingly many small muscles attached to this fin, which could indicate that it might also serve as a rudder that works in tandem with the terminal posterior fin.

 

Northern Stonesprite

When explorers go wade or swim near rocky beaches in Tlèëa, they often come back with fresh bite wounds. Four small punctures, usually on the feet or ankles, that can bleed for a surprisingly long time.

The perpetrator?

The northern stonesprite (Talusictus borealis), a small species of llamplelgan that lives in shallow rocky habitats all along the coast of Tlèëa. It is grey in coloration and blends in perfectly with the rocks and for a good reason. It is an ambush predator that lies in wait for some unsuspecting prey to swim by.

It mainly feeds on pectinauts, but crustaceans, small fish, conodonts and other llamplelgans are also on the menu. 

Once prey is in range, it rapidly extends its esophagus and turns it inside out to reveal four large copper coated teeth. If prey is impaled by these teeth, it is game over and the stonesprite quickly draws its esophagus back in.

Additionally, these teeth seem to be coated with an anticoagulant venom that prevents blood from clotting. So when one of our researchers gets bitten by a stonesprite, either out of self defense or mistaken for prey, the researcher has actually been envenomed by a substance that could prove deadly if it was injected in a larger dose.
 

Red Paddlepalp

If you ever find yourself exploring the vast underwater meadows off the east coast of Hatèmica, keep your eyes peeled for a most curious little critter.

They are small and lightning fast if they need to be and to top it off, incredibly well camouflaged for their environment.

Red paddlepalps (Remmanula rubeus) are small llamplelgans that, while seemingly elusive, are actually very common in the shallow coastal waters of Hatèmica. These critters often seem to walk along the seaweed, but what they are actually doing is "tasting" them for traces of food.

Red paddlepalps are carnivores that feed mainly on gastropods and small pectinauts that they share the meadows with. Once they have located their prey, they will grab onto it with the hooked pads on the ends of their tentacles before inverting their esophagus to swallow their prey whole.

Despite being called "red" paddlepalps, further examination has revealed that they aren't universally red in coloration. They can come in various shades of grey, brown and even blue, although this is most likely because they contain chromatophores within their skin which allows them to change color based on their environment.

 

Ægiric Smooth Llamplelgan

While Eryobis might lack Cephalopods of any kind, it has become clear that llamplelgans like this species fill the niche of Coleoids for a large part. Being able to swim almost omnidirectional and with all those tentacles, the resemblance is actually uncanny.

A common sight for our exploratory vessels and a common catch for fishermen, the Ægiric smooth llamplelgan (Leiodrilos aegiricus) measures between 30 and 50 centimeters long in body on average, with the tentacles adding another 20 or so centimeters.

This species feeds mostly on small crustaceans, fish, pectinauts and other llamplelgans that live in the upper water column. It travels in large shoals up to several hundred individuals strong, although this is mainly for protection, as this species is preyed on by numerous larger predators.

It can often be found in native fish markets that border the Ægiric Ocean. Curiously, some explorers have stated that the flesh of llamplelgans resembles that of squid in both taste and texture.