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.

Rubiëran Sandsprite

The shallow waters of Rubiëra and the Caddis Sea are a hotspot for marine life because of the warm tropical climate and nutrient rich currents that feed its inhabitants.

In in the shallowest parts, where the sand is barely below the surface, it is not uncommon to see a llamplelgan fluttering and darting around below the gentle waves, more specifically a Rubiëran sandsprite (Ammoxoticus orientalis). 

This species can grow to around 25 centimeters long and is primarily a scavenger that feeds on what ever the waves carry to the beach. 

Living in the shallows where they are very much visible to predators from above, Rubiëran sand sprites are able to dart away in very quick bursts of speed and will hide in the sand if they feel the need to. Additionally, iridescent, almost mirror like skin and translucent fins to help them blend into the environment.

Rightfully so, because a great number of predators from flying Stauropterygians and Chalacheiropterans to fish and other llampelgans will try to make a meal of a sandsprite whenever they see one. Even the native Eryobians are known to catch sandsprites on occasion.

 

Clade Profile: Llamplelganae

Beneath the waves of Eryobis we can find a group of very strange looking animals, even for Eryobian standards. Occurring in habitats ranging from the shallowest reefs to the deepest ocean canyons, they have conquered every marine habitat and some even venture into freshwater.

But what are these odd creatures?

The locals (Hrennat language) call them llamplelgans, roughly translating to “fluttering fish snail”. But they are no fish, nor are they mollusks. Instead, they are glyceriform phyllodocidan polychaete annelids, or simply put: Eryobian bloodworms.

They left their wormy appearance far behind them however, nowadays looking more like if a cuttlefish had a baby with a scorpion and had it raised by crabs.
Their annelid ancestry becomes more clear when you look at how they develop. They start out looking like a more typical polychaete worm, but fold their posterior bodies ventrally as they mature. What you end up with is a worm folded up like a taco with chaetae for fins on both sides being able to swim in every direction available to a 3-dimensional animal.

As they evolved to be far larger than most annelids, they had more need for the ability to see their surroundings. Deriving from the primitive compound eyes of their ancestors, llamplelgans evolved 2 pairs of highly advanced compound eyes on par with those of mantises. Their ommatidia in the anterior eyes are slightly more forwards directed while those in the posterior eye are directed more sideways and backwards, giving them an almost 360 degree field of vision. This causes their pseudopupils to seem unaligned.

They evolved eight long tentacles on either side of their heads which aid in detection and manipulation of food and often hunting. But their main weapon is their retractable proboscis edged with large copper coated teeth. Not only are these teeth strengthened with copper, they can also inject a deadly venom into whatever is unfortunate enough to get caught. Llamplelgans deploy this weapon by extending their esophagus and turning it inside out to reveal the teeth. Whatever gets impaled by the teeth will then just get pulled into the llamplelgans esophagus and will never see the light of day again.

This species depicted here is Llamplelgania peregrina, a medium sized species that mostly inhabits the tropical coastal waters of eastern Guralta. In the picture it is about to attack an unlucky ray / flounder-like nienktvis. A soft bodied animal, the nienktvis will get swallowed by the llamplelgan without much effort.