Sweetfly

There are many insects in the swamps of the Kajan.  Most of them, however, are simply a nuisance.  The sweetfly is a particularly good example.  Their buzzing fills the muggy air, so much that it can be hard to hear yourself think before you grow accustomed to the noise.  But they work as bees do in the plains, and will not harm you even if you should provoke them.

— Atalia Segorna

Basic Information

Anatomy

Sweetflies are approximately four centimeters in length, and have the typical three-sectioned body of all insects, as well as the usual six legs.  They have four large wings positioned near the head, that have an approximate wingspan of six centimetres.  Females have long and slightly curved ovipositors.

Genetics and Reproduction

Sweetflies mate frequently, often doing so as soon as they have layed eggs from their previous mating.  The female typically deposits her eggs in the shoots of a bush or simply on the ground near one.  A female will lay up to thirty eggs each time she mates, of which between 2 and 10 typically survive to hatching.  The others succumb to predation by other insects or being squashed by larger animals.  Eggs take between three and five days to hatch, and there is no parental investment in caring for them.

Growth Rate & Stages

After hatching, sweetflies are almost completely ready to function as an adult.  They take between one and two days to fully master their motion, and newly-hatched sweetflies are typically chaotic in their flight.  After this, they are both sexually and behaviourally mature, and begin a typical activity cycle.  They typically mate within one week of hatching.

Ecology and Habitats

Sweetflies inhabit the swamps of Mythia, where the abundance of their preferred foods as well as a lack of competition as pollinators allow them the maximum possible success.
Within this niche, sweetflies act as the main pollinators for most swamp plants, particularly poolreed.  Their food is primarily made of the incentives that these plants give, including nectar and the occasional more solid meal in the case of carnivorous plants, and in collecting these they gain pollen from the plants on their bodies.  When they fly to the next plant, they deposit the pollen during feeding, allowing the plants to reproduce.

Biological Cycle

Sweetflies live for approximately three weeks, during which time they undergo very few growth changes.  As they age, particularly in the last weeks of life, their wings often exhibit signs of deterioration - this is due to the fact that they are unable to fold them in completely, meaning that they often scrape against the sides of the plants that they pollinate.  Additionally, some particularly old female sweetflies show a distressed ovipositor due to their frequent egg-laying.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Sweetflies have adequate vision, but do not see in the regular spectrum as humans do.  Rather, they see in the ultraviolet spectrum, enabling them to better notice the colours of the things that they pollinate.  Crucially for the pollination of poolreed, they also have incredible hearing, allowing them to follow the noises that the plant makes in order to pollinate it.

Sweetfly Soup

The Kajan, in times of hardship, catch sweetflies with improvised nets.  To catch enough for a meal takes a long time, up to seven hours, and as such the sweetfly is not a common food.  However, when it is eaten, up to three hundred are prepared in a soup that is eaten by the Kajan.  Sweetfly soup has an interesting flavour, akin to that of honeyed ants eaten in other areas of Mythia.

Introduction to other areas

Sweetflies have spread across Mythia to an extent as trade with the Kajan has increased in frequency.  Although most traders don't visit the areas of swamp where sweetflies are most dense, the occasional young sweetfly will hitch a ride with a trader out of the swamp.  Most sweetflies that do this die quickly in conditions that they are not suited to - however, some manage to survive, and are considered pests in areas such as Cada Cratal where they inhabit the poorer areas and the banks of the nearby river Tiyn.