Idrian "Fish" the Cryptobranchs

Idris IV is home to plethora of "fish" species. Cryptobranchia (hidden gills) When we talk about these particular fish analogs we are refering to the Cyannosium branch of the animalian tree of life for Idris IV. We will note the species in order according to the image above.

• Hurai Kebi: Large crevice dwelling Cryptobranch feeding on invertebrates with a battery of rounded crushing teeth set in the throat. Despite their formidable inner jaws, they are very docile.

• Joro Hosale: A brilliantly species. they occur wherever the water is warm. The pectoral fins have merged into a long bony "lance". The appendage is used to scare smaller prey animals up from the sediment. The Joro Hosale are decendants of larger deep water loving species that have adapted to shallow passive swimming.

• ZhérlIángo: ZhérlIángo are members of the family of elongate cryptobranchs known as Stenoventraformes (narrow stomachs). The ZhérlIángo are small-medium sized cryptobranchs. The largest adult female measures 2.5 feet in length. The cranial and cervical region are largely fused and interwoven. The lower body is however flexible. The alter between median/paired fin locomotion and anguilliform locomotion. That is to say they may switch from hovering or gliding around with the use of thier six paired fins, or swimming along with eel-like oscillations of the tail. Stenoventraformes are carnivorous by default. They stalk and jet about the reefs and substrate, taking on prey smaller than themselves. The protruding jaws can snap forward and snatch prey a few inches ahead of the head. Schooling behaviour is the norm and does the small-mouthed critters justice as they frenzy less than bite-sized prey. The tail is equiped with spurs; the spurs are used to disuage rear attacking predators and nest eaters.

• Plahé: The Plahé is a small invertebrate (not a cyannossium) That swims with rapid oscillations of the tail. 4 paired fins are used to collect food and hold eggs. Plahé are attracted to algal beds and tend to breed like mad where Blu have created algae farms. As a result, they are consumed in great quantities. They are as abundant as catfish or feral carp.

• Unokutso: Unokutso are small, slow swimming cryptobranchs with rigid internalized skeletons made of skull plates and internalized scale plates. The cranio-thoracic region is largely interlocked. The tail vertebrae are enclosed in interlocking scales. The Unokutso has a beak made of dentine & bone. Protruding from its cartilaginous lips. The beak is used to render small soft-bodied animals from their shells. The Unokutso utilizes diodontiform locomotion.

• Päkliango: Päkliango are extra-large carnivorous cryptobranchs. The species is unique amongst most cryptobranchys in that their lips have ossified and are complete with dentition. The pharyngeal jaws are rounded on the trailing egdes as pressing and crushing surfaces. Päkliango dwell in the understory of the reefs, swimming amongst the larger crags and crevices, ambushing unsuspecting prey

• Māanyü:
  The Māanyü is a large predatory cryptobranch. The species pictured is a reef dweller but larger species dwell out in the open ocean and prey on even larger animals The lips have been lost and in their stead, the inner jaws have formed a beak that is used to cut and peel the flesh from prey. Young Blu trying to test their "manliness" will catch Māanyü with little more than a spear.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Cryptobranchia (hidden gills) Are some of the most ancient extant animals on Idris IV. Most Cryptobranchs:

• Possess a skeleton of copper and calcium carbonate. and a spinal cord.

• Live in water, at least primarily during their larval stages

• Still posess parietal eyes, particularly visible in prey species

• Breathe primarily with gills rather than lungs (the ancestral forms of the hexapods are the exception as they possess encapsulated book-lungs derived from swim-bladders)

• Have paired limbs, in the form of fins that aid in locomotion

• Are unable to regulate their own internal body temperatures (exceptions exist)

• Are covered with scales of varying sizes that protect their bodies from abrasion in addition to a slime coat that deters infection.

There are many exceptions to these guidelines of course.
The Cryptobranchs come in a multitude of orders based upon internal and external morphologies. verrucosulepidoformes(rough-skinned scales) Rhynchos-maritimaformes (beaks of the sea) Deino-Longicaudiformes (terrible long tail) branchiceroformes (gill horns)

Scientific Name

Class Cryptobranchia

Conservation Status

Least Concern