Lortub
Basic Information
Anatomy
The intertidal zone is a place that is not very friendly to many creatures. However, the lortub has managed to eke out a place under the burning sun. A "proto-shell," made of hardened skin, is located on the dorsal surface of the creature, while its spiracles have changed so as to function with water as well as with water vapor, allowing the animal to go on land when it has recently rained or when it is very humid. The shell has an interesting coloring of red and green. The reason for this is that the earliest dyomisa with shells evolved pigments to camouflage against the green plant-groves. However, as their shell got stronger, and the proto-Lortub got bigger, the shell eventually became less of a camouflage tool and more of a mating display, where the ones with the brightest, most diverse patterns on their shell got more chances to make. Somewhere along the line, a lortub mutated a red pigment that showed up as well as the green pigment. This lortub mated several times, and the ones with no red pigment died out, creating the red-green shells of the lortubs today.
The two appendages on the cephalon of the lortub have changed dramatically from its dyomisa ancestor. One pair has become like a moving spike, allowing the lortub to rip and tear through carrion and cut up the thin stems of the Boseo. This evolved after a certain fibrous protein found in the first appendage of the proto-lortub slowly grew harder and harder over time. This harder protein gradually got pushed to the top of the appendage, creating the spike we see now. The other has moved to the side and made sort of a cup, creating a “shovel” useful for pushing things into the water and moving food into its mouth. It has also gained a reproductive appendage, although immobile and quite small. Essentially, the reproductive gland began to extend outwards, taking the flesh along with it. This split, and now, while there is only one reproductive gland, there are two fleshy bits that dispel gametes underneath the head of the lortub.
While they are hard to see being largely hidden by the "shell" the Lortub retains the individual spiracles of the ancestral Diomisa for gas exchange.
Genetics and Reproduction
A mating strategy, facilitated by the use of the reproductive appendages, has has evolved in Lorem. A male lortub will begin to dig two holes into the ground using it’s spikes and shovels. After this is completed, the female that he has begun to court will deposit the eggs within the two holes. If her reproductive appendages don’t fit or are too large, too bad for them. The male will do the same, depositing his gametes within. The male knows how wide his reproductive appendages are, and so he digs the holes to fit it’s size. This has caused a trend in both females and males to gravitate towards a similar size. After a while, the eggs begin to develop. These eggs will hatch, and the larvae are nearly microscopic. The ones that drift out to sea are never seen again, and the ones that stay on rocks and other such material, keeping in the intertidal zone and the shallows, live to grow big enough to mate, unless picked off by adult lortub or water hoppers. The cycle continues.
Ecology and Habitats
Lortub are primarily scavengers and secondarily herbivores, and are found most commonly in the intertidal zones where they don’t get preyed upon as much by larger creatures who would try to take their lives. They have adapted to life in the intertidal zone. They are detritivores, but if hungry, they will not hesitate to go out into the shallows and cut up wart melons or spiral plants with their spiked appendages. When actively foraging, they use their legs to wander the coastlines and track down any fresh carrion. Otherwise, they will rest near various photosynthesizers, so they can have an easy meal.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Cha Ttang is theirs, as is southern natash, although they are exuded from equatorial latitudes due to being sensitive to overheating, despite their small size. The northern shore of Rash Al-Kalb has a small population of Lortub, but they are exponentially growing, although the durospina and minospina continue to compete against them.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The four eyes are focused in the front of the animal, and grouped together in twos. They have a lid of sorts, or perhaps more properly a brow. The front eyes are better adapted to seeing out of water, having a deformable lens, but the back eyes, while they are more useful, have low resolution. This has resulted in the behavior of a lortub to move away from anything that is bigger than it and moving, unless they can sense that it is another of it’s kind, and it is mating season. However, if they turn their front eyes around to look at the target, then they may continue to run, or begin to move hungrily towards the prey/carrion.
The chemoreceptors on the antennae have decreased on the spiked appendages, having a very limited range of about 60 cm. The shovel like appendages are better, gathering sensory details from about 5 meters away. The shovel appendages are very touch-sensitive.
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