North of Eld, in the Far Lands, you can encounter small oases. Not a meter deep, a couple of meters wide, these small ponds in the middle of the desert are home to hundreds of thousands of small little creatures known as Cidamas. Cidamas are first seen in these pools in larvae form, where the glow they produce give the water it's distinctive crimson color. Once per year, they leave behind eggs, and then form up a cocoon half a meter wide. All the individual Cidamas will dissolve and be absorbed in it. When the Cocoon breaks, a month later, up to twenty golden Cidamaes will be born. In it's infancy, the golden cidama will measure up to 15 centimeters, and by the time it dies six months later, it will have grown to 45 centimeters. The waters are said to be medicinal by some and is often sold on the Eld market as a potent Remedy. Research has not been done to verify these claims.

Basic Information

Anatomy

In it's larvae form, the Cidama is a 5 centimers long flat worm with ridges that ondulates in the water. It is semi-transparent and glows a deep crimson. This bio-luminescence is achieved by having many blood vessels run to the surface of the skin while having an enzyme reaction (Cidama Luciferase and an adenosine triphosphate that is gained through the water supply). The Cidama is a simple organism with no external sensory organs.
In it's golden form, the Cidama is a fifteen to fourty-five centimeters wide stout-bodied insect with large movable plates of hardened skin on its back. It has six legs, the front legs being bigger than the others, made for foraging and digging. The head, hidden beneath the last plate, has four eyes and a large mouth that both serves to eat and breathe. The lower jaw can separate in two to extend and eat a prey up to 25 centimers in height. Antennas are a recent evolution of the species, protruding from the head plate, allowing the golden cidama to analyze air composition. This allows it to anticipate the mist and burrow in the sand in an attempt to save itself.

Genetics and Reproduction

Just before the moment to form a cocoon comes, The Cidama will lay up to four eggs that will produce another Cidama after a gestation period of six months.

Ecology and Habitats

The Cidama reside in a pool of water that, throughout generations of Cidamas breeding, is now a little thick and oily. Its temperature is at a stable 23 degrees. The bottom of the pond is honeycombed shaped, to welcome the eggs in the beginning of the year.

Scientific Name

Lepidoptera Cidamae