Ky'dhráli Variants

Overview

The ky'dhráli are a varied species of aquatic semi-humanoids. All of the following are the common variants of the species as they've adapted to serve differing biogeographical niches.

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Subspecies

There are four main subspecies of the ky'dhráli, highlighting the four main aquatic biomes they inhabit.

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Pelagos
Pelagos ky'dhráli are the most common subspecies. They're the ones who are also most in contact with the terrestrial world, living in the medium depths of the oceans.

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Benthos
The benthos inhabit deeper seas, mainly found in many deep trenches. They're comparable in size and weight to pelagos ky'dhráli.
Adapted to the deeper environments, their eyesight is generally poor and more attuned to differences in light emission and reflection than for recognizing figures. This makes them essentially blind in most cases. Unlike other ky'dhráli, their eyes are the most immediately obvious difference, being mostly if not all black.
Their coloration is much less varied; usually shades of deep blue or teal. Their scale patterns are also dimly bioluminescent, allowing them to recognize other individuals around them in the low light levels. The bioluminescence ranges from soft blue to pastel greenish hues.

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Charos
Native to shallower tropical seas, the charos are noticeably smaller than pelagos and benthos ky'dhráli, being nearly half a meter to a meter shorter and weighing around 10 to 15 kilograms less. Their coloration and scale patterns are such that they are able to easily blend in along the coral reefs which often serve as their hunting grounds.
Charos are more lithe on average, lacking the higher concentration of body fat that contributes to keeping the other subspecies warm in the colder waters and relying only on their reflective scales.

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Lagos
Lagos are the smallest of the ky'dhráli subspecies as well as the only subspecies that inhabits both fresh- and saltwater. They're typically 1.25 to 1.75 meters long at their largest, but maintain a higher percentage of body fat as insulation from the much colder lake and river waters, leaving them to weigh only slightly less than the larger charos.
The coloration of the lagos is among the least saturated, many of which being either gray, silver, or pastel blues and greens, and their scale patterns stand out against the pale backgrounds, making them rather easy to spot.
Due to the environments they inhabit, lagos are the most common ky'dhráli that terrestrial societies interact with, and while they don't live near them, families of lagos can commonly be seen swimming through river harbors. Some towns have even built piers or other edgewater structures for cross-species socialization.

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Varieties

Ky'dhrali come in three varieties, each with their own differing degrees of amphibious ability.

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Aquos
Ky'dhráli aquos are a variety that are more adapted to a completely aquatic life, so far as to have had their legs merge with their tails through their evolutionary history. As such, they need assistance when traveling on land and are generally not the diplomatic face of the species, leaving that duty for the simuli.
Aquos are also the largest of the three varieties, often dwarfing other humanoids. Including their larger tails, they can grow to nearly 4.5 meters in length, though most range from 2.5 to 3.5 meters. This also makes them the heaviest, weighing around 130 to 180 kilograms.
Their scales cover most of their bodies, and their fins are much larger than other ky'dhráli, including a prominent dorsal fin running from their shoulder blades all the way down their spine. They also possess fins on their arms. Aquos spend the majority of their lives underwater, and most don't travel on land at all.

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Simuli
Simuli are the middle ground of the ky'dhráli; an average of sorts. Still possessing separate legs and a tail, they're adapted well for a more amphibious lifestyle. For this reason, most ky'dhráli diplomats are simuli due to the ease of terrestrial travel.
Aquos are generally only slightly larger than humans, standing 1.5 to 2 meters tall, with their tails being around the same length as the torso. They typically weigh 60 to 80 kilograms.

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Occidentalis

Occidentalis are less of a ky'dhráli variant and moreso a hybrid between a ky'dhráli and a human. They have the least scale covering and have most of the anatomy of humans with a few exceptions. Like other ky'dhráli, they have a tail, but it's not nearly as large or well developed as the simuli and aquos. They also have some smaller fins.
Due to their patchwork hybridized look, occidentalis are generally looked down upon in both human and ky'dhráli society. Many of them abandon ky'dhráli societies altogether and choose to live elsewhere. They can commonly be seen along the waterside market streets in shadier port towns.
This split in occidentalis culture has led to the evolution of a true hybrid species called the kydhkin.