Dustbug

The dustbug is a small beetle that can be found in the wandering tunnels, closer to Etharai's surface. They are easily mistaken for specks of dust - though infestations of dustbugs are marked by incredibly clean environments, as the species' primary sustenence is that of dust and dirt. The bugs are used to clean especially dirty objects, but breed incredibly quickly and form very large families.

Dietary Needs & Habits

The dustbug survives off of dirt, grime, and the waste of other species. It is primarily a decomposer, though it is able to gain nutrients from things like dust. As such, dustbug burrows and their immediate surroundings are often incredibly clean and polished; so much so that occasionally, folks living in the wandering tunnels will use the bugs to help clean particularly caked-on grime or disgusting spills and stains. However, as the species can reproduce incredibly quickly, they must be controlled and contained to as not to accidentally infest the space they have been released to clean.

Anatomy

The dustbug is a small insect with a hard shell covering its delicate wings. This elytra has a brown, dusty appearance to it, with a bit of a fuzzy texture when touched. It has horizontal mandibles, which it uses to eat its primary nutrients - dirt and compost. It has three distinguishable sections on its body: the head, the abdomen, and the thorax. Of these, the thorax is the largest, making up over 80% of the beetle's body. Its abdomen is incredible short yet wide, and its head completes the ovular shape of the species and is the smallest segment of the animal. They have two antenna on their heads.

Geographic Distribution

• Wandering Tunnels

Dustbug Burrows

Dustbugs are known to dig complicated burrows, with twisting mazes of tunnels and rooms that are difficult to make sense of. Within these burrows, families of thousands of dustbugs can live, with the largest burrow ever found housing over 5,400 bugs.

Dustbug Removal

Though their cleaning can be helpful, dustbug infestations can become annoying either when they affect the stuctural integrity of a cave or building, or when they begin to "clean" things that were not messes - such as paint, rugs, or wallpaper. When this happens, the best course of action is to use cleaning chemicals to sterlise a space, keeping it clinically clean until the dustbugs move away. Then, their burrows can be filled to prevent a new infestation from forming.