January lags on being boring and grey as per bloody usual. Last week we looked at an animal, the Buoy Barnacle, which seemed boring and grey but turned out to be quite exciting. This week we look at something that could be an animal, or a plant or maybe a mineral, hope you guys enjoy…

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Issue #157 – Trembling Sea Mat

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Bryzoa

Class – Gymnolaemata

Order – Ctenostomadia

Family – Victorellidae

Genus – Victorella

Species – pavida

Related Species - Trembling Sea Mats are one of 4000 bryzoans or moss animals, so named for their plant like appearance (1)

Range - Trembling Sea Mats are found in coastal waters around Europe and the Middle East as well as the Eastern Seabord of the United States.

Animal, Vegetable or Mineral

Individual Trembling Sea Mats are tiny animals, no more than half a millimetre long. As a colonial animal however, they often gather in groups that resemble mossy carpets on the stones and kelp fronds that they grow on. Individual members of this colony are called ‘zooids’ and are specialised to certain roles within the colony, although they act independently from each other and are not part of a hive mind like ants or bees. All zooids form a cystid from organic materials produced by the epidermis, which the feeding apparatus, digestive and nervous system sits inside (2).

Those zooids responsible for providing food for the colony are the autozooids, and they possess a crown of tentacles called a lophophore, which snatches microscopic organisms from the water and brings them inside the cystid where the food is digested and the energy diffused across the colony. Predators of the Trembling Sea Mat include molluscs and crabs, and their grazing triggers the colony to grow more defensive spinozooids to fend off future attacks. Should two colonies of Trembling Sea Mat meet, they decide to grow in opposite directions since it takes less energy to expand into unclaimed territory than to fight out ‘turf wars’ to determine which colony is dominant.

While the individual zooids will have a defined gender, the colony that makes up the Trembling Sea Mat is a hermaphrodite. During reproduction, the female’s zooids released unfertilized eggs which are captured by male autozooids, fertilized and then released (2). Upon hatching the larval Trembling Sea Mats swim around feeding on other members of the plankton before spinning a cocoon and sinking to the sea bed to mature into an adult zooid. This single unit will effectively clone, relying on stockpiled energy from its larval feeding to support itself until it expands into a colony.

Ecology 101: A Guide to Environmental Mechanics #16 - Photosynthesis in Animals

A few issues ago @ficopedia asked the following: Is a Sea Anemone a Plant or an Animal

The answer is that sea anenome’s are animals that are closely related to corral, jellyfish and hydrozoans. That said, some such as the Green Surf Anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) do have photosynthetic algae living in their cells that do provide their host animal with energy in return for protection from grazers and a permanent place to live. Such an arrangement is helpful for animals that live in tidal environments like the anemone, since its food supply is dependent on whatever is swept in at high tide and what species can survive low oxygen levels and potential desiccation when the tide retreats.

This partnership between algae and in some cases bacteria and their animal hosts probably first evolved by accident. The majority of animals that have photosynthetic organisms living within them are filter feeders, and it is highly likely that the animal caught its future partners which were able to avoid being destroyed when they were consumed. This process can be seen in the Flatworm Symsagittifera roscoffensis whose larvae are free swimming hunters (3), and who often feed on microscopic photosynthetic organisms at the ocean’s surface. On maturation, the Flatworm ceases to be an active predator and switches over to feeding almost entirely to using solar energy.

Such energy gathering comes at a cost, the flatworms have to sit out in the open at the ocean’s surface where they are at risk of predation, something they avoid by forming giant swarms of worms that resemble seaweed floating just under the surface. This highlights one common problem that links all animals that rely fully or partially on photosynthetic allies, they are restricted to very shallow water where they face stiff competition from marine plants and increased unwanted attention from both predators and grazers.

The Eastern Emerald Elysia (Elysia chlorotica), a marine sea-slug, solves this problem through kleptoplasty, who steals the genes from the algae Vaucheria litorea that it feeds on. After consuming the algae the slug incorporates the chloroplast genes into its body, which ironically is leaf shaped. At first the slug needs to feed almost constantly to keep its supply of chlorophyll intact, but after a few feedings the chloroplasts it has stolen can last for up to ten months in the slug’s body. While the slug does need to keep feeding, it can survive for up to a month without feeding, relaying on just the energy it manufactures using the chloroplasts it steals from its food (4).

While the majority of photosynthetic animals invertebrates, there is at least one vertebrate, the Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) that does use photosynthetic organisms to aid in its growth in its larval tadpole stage (5). This time the algae finds its animal host, with the plant colonising the eggs of the salamander in the pools the adults lay them in. Because of the stagnant nature of their nursery environment, upon hatching the larval tadpoles take oxygen produced by the algae as well as glucose to speed their growth into their adult form. While the salamander can survive without the algae, the reverse is not true, with their plant allies remaining in a cyst like form until it senses the chemical cues of the developing embryo’s waste products being released into the water.

Bibliography

1 - www.arkive.org

2 - Ruppert, E.E.; Fox, R.S. & Barnes, R.D. (2004). "Lophoporata". Invertebrate Zoology (7 ed.). Brooks / Cole. pp. 829–845

3 - https://www.newscientist.com/article/2078532-green-worms-create-a-superorganism-that-becomes-a-giant-seaweed/

4 - Christa G, Zimorski V, Woehle C, Tielens AG, Wägele H, Martin WF, Gould SB (2013). "Pastid-bearing sea slugs fix CO2 in the light but do not require photosynthesis to survive". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 2815 -

5 - http://nautil.us/blog/the-salamander-that-has-photosynthesis-happening-inside-it

Picture References

1 - http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/80781257.jpg

2 - http://www.marlin.ac.uk/assets/images/marlin/species/web/o_vicpav.jpg

3 - http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/25/11/318B85DD00000578-3463588-The_worm_is_found_in_shallow_water_on_sand_beaches_at_certain_si-a-39_1456398942988.jpg

4 - https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/files/2013/12/Elysia_chlorotica_1-300x296.jpg

5 - http://static.nautil.us/2786_fb3f76858cb38e5b7fd113e0bc1c0721.jpg

Talk about being one with your garden, perhaps such organisms as the ones mentoned above could one day help reduce the amount of land needed for agriculture, with humans making their own solar powered snacks. Next week we celebrate Chinese New Year although I’m not sure that’s anything to crow about, but until then make sure to critic, comment and suggest future issues as well as making sure you check out past issues in Impurest’s Bestiary.

Many Thanks

Impurest Cheese

Want more IGTA? If it’s something that looks like a plant you’re after, click here to meet the grotesque Gorgonocephalus. Or for something that also looks like a plant, click here to see the really Stinky Squid.

Name: Invictian Bergmite

National Dex Number: 173

Complete Dex Number: 712

Flavour Text: Bergmite floats in the forest of oil derricks left abandoned after the Invictian gas fields dried up. Excess bubbles of tar left in these deposits permeated this Pokémon on a cellular level to form a new frozen core of pollution right where this Pokémon’s heart had once been.

Species: Ice Chunk

Type: Ice/Poison

Height: 1m (3,03)

Weight: 82kg (180.77lb)

Evolution: Bergmite (L37) -> Avalugg

Battle Mechanics

Abilities: Sticky Hold (The adhesive nature of this Pokémon’s skin means it’s held item can't be forcibly removed)/Weak Armour (A physical attack on this Pokémon chips a piece of armour off lowering Defence but also increasing Speed)

Hidden Ability: Ice Core (This Pokémon’s frozen core keeps the rest of the body cool and reduces the damage of Fire Attacks by 50%, Provides an Immunity to Burns)

Egg Group: Monster

Signature Move(s): None

Base Stats

Characteristics

Appearance: Bergmite retains the frosty jagged exterior found in its Kalosian counterparts, but within the ice it is possible to see the changes its new polluted core has created. Externally Bergmite occasionally has bubbles of tar erupt along its flanks which stain the Pokémon black until the chemical can dissipate into the environment. More subtly, under the right conditions Bergmite's outer shell has a rainbow sheen from the high concentration of oil found within its body.

The biggest visible change in Bergmite's physiology is to the spires of ice that erupt from the Pokémon’s back. While still there, the central spike has become larger and has a channel carved into it that leads directly down to Bergmite's core. When warmed up, this channel vents greenhouse gases in an attempt to cool down the Pokémon’s body temperature, and occasionally a small very cold blue flame can be seen at the very tip of this spire.

Ecology: Bergmite are found in the extreme north of Invictia, often in and around glacial lakes that have become trapped in the high mountain ranges. Normal Bergmite feed contently on mineral slurry found at the bottom of these lakes or on meltwater leaking from the snouts of glaciers, partially through consumption, but mostly by absorbing nutrients dissolved in water through their skin. This behaviour was indicative of Invictia's Bergmite population until exploratory drilling discovered a massive oil and gas field situated under the mountains. After sixty years of constant carbon extraction, the majority of the crude oil had been extracted, and the derricks and mining equipment was left to rust in the rapidly melting snow around them. As the glacial lakes expanded from the meltwater, trace amounts of tar was absorbed by Bergmite, before coalescing into a toxic core of pollution deep in the Pokémon’s heart.

With this new core in place Bergmite is able to withstand higher temperatures and feed on a wider range of minerals including those that are found on contaminated land. As such it is able to venture down from the mountains during the Invictian winter and can be found chewing asphalt on the side of major roads and drinking the fuel out of generators that are left unguarded. Since known predatory junkivores such as Trubbish and Muk are not found in Invictia, Bergmite has no natural predators and can sometimes reach plague portions when they enter mountain communities and cause trouble, although their friendly nature and gleaming skin has been exploited by a few ski resorts to increase winter tourists.

Studies into whether Bergmite could be used to clean up the contaminated land at Jagged Nail were underway just prior to the most recent conflict. Results were less than promising, as while Bergmite eats contaminates, it also produces toxic waste products. The Invictian military eventually seized the project and instead of using Bergmite to clean up environments, they were used by Commerce Raiders to transport fuel to their allies in Johto as well as to covertly damage the ecenomy of their enemies from Kalos, Kanto and Unova. The large number of Bergmite deployed during the conflict lead to the Kalos Expeditionary Force forming dedicated flamethrower infantry units late in the war, and in the subsequent invasion of Invictia a year later.

Trivia

Origin: Bergmite is based on icebergs and stalagmites. The Invictian form also has features found on oil rigs such as the derrick like spire as well.

Name Origin: Bergmite's name comes from a combination of Iceberg and Mite or Stalagmite.

Name: Lapras

National Dex Number: #158

Complete Dex Number: #131

Flavour Text: Lapras’s gentle nature and helpful nature is retained on Mega Evolving. That said its crystal shell inspires nothing but greed in all humans who see it and led to excessive hunting of this Pokémon to the point of endangerment.

Species: Transport

Type: Water/Ice (Water/Ghost upon Mega Evolution)

Height: 250cm (8,02ft)

Height (Mega Evolution): 400cm (13, 01)

Weight: 220kg (485.0lb)

Weight (Mega Evolution): 32kg (70.55lb)

Evolution: Lapras (Holding the Laprasium Mega Stone) -> Mega Lapras

Battle Mechanics

Ability: Water Absorb (When hit by a Water Attack, instead of losing HP this Pokémon gains health equal to the damage it would have taken)/Shell Armour (The defensive shell of this Pokémon negates the opponents ability to land Critical Hits)

Hidden Ability: Hydration (The damp skin of this Pokémon allows its status effects to be removed when caught in the rain)

Ability (Mega Evolution): Cursed Body (An ancient curse summoned by this Pokémon may disable an attack used against it)

Egg Group: Monster/Water 1

Signature Move(s): Icicle Shell (Ice Type Attack) The user forms a formidable array of icicles across its back which raises Defence and Special Defence one stage. The first physical strike to this Pokémon after using this move cause the attacker to suffer from recoil equal to 1/8 of the damage done)

Base Stats

Characteristics

Appearance: Mega Lapras retains its trademark shape but its skin goes from being royal blue to an ethereal almost white cyan. The shell on its back goes from being formed of bone to being crafted from pure diamond crystal which extends under the belly to the bottom of the neck. Strangely this crystal while being very strong is almost weightless and this seems to have affected the entire Pokémon since Mega Lapras has a very ethereal feel to it which lead it to be called the Laird of the Mist in some parts of its range.

This mist is a common counterpart to Lapras, with streams of pale blue fog trailing from the flippers of this Pokémon as it swims. In addition a mane of mist stretches down this Pokémon’s elegant neck up to where its horns were which now have been replaced by a gleaming crystalline point. Lapras’s eyes have changed too, they are now pale blue and seem to have tiny wisps of mist swirling round the pupils.

Ecology: Mega Lapras is not a naturally occurring Pokémon as such this section refers to Lapras in its normal form.

A highly endangered Pokémon that, until the turn of the last century was hunted for its meat, shell and for use in manual labour, Lapras was chosen as the poster Pokémon for Article Two of the Cerulean Conference Agreement, a piece of global legislation that protects the rarest Pokémon in the world. At the time Lapras along with Sharpedo, Farfetch’d, Kangaskhan and Stantler were the only Pokémon effected by this legislation but since then another twenty Pokémon were given the same protection. Among the nations who signed was Invictia, something that caused a schism between the nation and the Western Isles territory whose livelihoods were focused on the hunting of Lapras, and eventually sparked a small regional conflict.

As hunting ended, Lapras number began to recover, especially since its food source of small fish and plankton had boomed thanks to the reduction of its predators. To avoid being hunted by its own predators, female Lapras travels in herds to protect their young, not just from Pokémon such as Shiprock and Gyarados, but also from bull Lapras which will happily kill calf’s to bring the females back into season. Despite being extensively hunted in Invictian waters, the largest population of Lapras can be found during the summer months around Hailpeak Point, an ancient breeding ground for the species.

Upon the birth of its newest calf, Lapras will chase its previous calf away, where it will join with similar aged animals and form new pods. These Lapras pods are often curious and will often swim close to human vessels and wander far and wide across the ocean. The boats that were formally used to hunt these Pokémon now act as research and specialised Lapras watching boats that take advantage of the friendly nature of this species to get close to this Pokémon and help conserve them for future generations to enjoy.

Trivia

Origin: Lapras is based on the fabled Loch Ness Monster from Scotland as well as real world cetaceans such as whales and dolphins in regards to its rarity and intelligence. In addition the extinct family of reptiles the Plesiosaurs seems to have influenced the basic body design of Lapras, while the horn and shell are hallmarks of another extinct group of marine reptiles the Placadonts.

Name Origin: Lapras’s name is a corruption of Laplace, the surname of Pierre Simon Laplace, a French mathematician who wrote multiple books on the mechanics of the sea and tides.

Name: Machamp

National Dex Number: #028

Complete Dex Number: #068

FlavourText: Machamp’s muscles become so dense upon Mega Evolution that it is in constant agony. The only relief it gets is when it punches since the pleasure centre of its brain is hardwired to the neurons in its fists.

Species: Superpower

Type: Fighting (Retains type upon Mega Evolution)

Height: 160cm (5,03ft)

Height (Mega Evolution): 210cm (6.88ft)

Weight: 130kg (286.6lb)

Weight (Mega Evolution): 180kg (396.83lb)

Evolution: Machop (L28) -> Machoke (Trade) -> Machamp (Holding the Machampite Mega Stone) -> Mega Machamp

Battle Mechanics

Ability: Guts (When afflicted by a status condition this Pokémon’s attack stat rises)/No Guard (This Pokémon prefers to fight openly with all attacks by both sides guaranteed to land on their purposed target)

HiddenAbility: Steadfast (The sheer determination of this Pokémon causes its Speed to raise every time it flinches)

Ability (Mega Evolution): Brute Force (Attacks from this Pokémon ignore positive changes in stats as well as defensive measures such as Reflect and Safeguard)

EggGroup: Human-Form

Signature Move(s): None

Base Stats

Characteristics

Appearance: Mega Machamp retains much of the same bodily features as its pre-mega form, supporting the same humanoid shape, vaguely bird like head and four arms. That said many of these features are warped as Machamp’s muscular system went into overdrive, with the top two arms doubling at size, albeit at the expense of the lower pair of arms which are now almost vestigial. Because of this muscular increase Machamp finds it hard to walk upright, and instead moves on its knuckles, in part to briefly relieve its pain with every step and also because it’s back simply can’t withstand the strain of holding its arms any longer.

While there is no doubt that Mega Machamp is powerful its strength has actually been reduced since it wears the same power saving device that it wore as Machoke, albeit in a cross banded shape across its thorax. Machamp’s face no longer supports a look of great ego, instead supporting a look that it is enduring great pain. The crests on its head have also fused together to form one single half-moon shaped crest that sweeps down from the forehead to the nape of the neck.

Ecology: Mega Machamp is not a naturally occurring Pokémon as such this section refers to Machamp in its normal form.

Machamp is rarely seen in the wild although interactions with its trainer owned counterparts show us a great deal about its wild behaviour. Machamp loves to show off its strength, not necessarily in combat although it enjoy battling against strong foes, and will happily engage in manual labour and even mental tasks, just so long as it can see a way to increase its fighting prowess or find a new way to showcase its strength in what it’s doing. Machamp is generally a well like Pokémon among both people and its fellows because despite its seemingly narcissistic nature, it doesn’t hesitate to jump in and help those in need, or stick up for those weaker than itself.

This behaviour is so often seen, that folklore tells of a Machamp who worked in a fishing village single handedly throwing a mountain range into the sea to protect its friends from pirates, thus forming the natural phenomenon known as the ‘Sea of Pillars’ a forest of imposing sea stacks found on the west coast of the Invictian Mainland. If it can’t show of its own strength then Machamp is happy to help others show off their own. Every year the small population of wild Machamp hold a fighting competition for all the Pokémon they know to see who is the strongest in Invictia. Likewise Machamp is also an expert in judging physique and combat form, and eats a strict vegetarian diet to help build its strength and avoid adding any impurities to its body.

Despite all its strengths Machamp isn’t the most adventurous of thinkers, it prefers to do tasks it has done before and exceeds at, and can be quite stubborn in accepting new tasks that don’t interest it. Machamp generally gets on well with all Pokémon, but it does distrust ghost, dark and psychic Pokémon, possibly because they are always up to mischief or in some cases actively planning dark deeds to inflict on others. That said if it finds out it has misjudged someone it is very quick to make amends, and expects others to repay the favour when they misjudge it.

Trivia

Origin: Machamp is based on bodybuilders and wrestlers.

NameOrigin: Machamp’s name is a combination of Macho and Champion.

Name: Geminez

National Dex Number: #079

Flavour Text: Geminez feeds on uncut ores and minerals it finds in the mouths of caverns and mines that it lives in. At night it heads out to sleep in the forest as it fears being attacked by its main predator Sableye.

Species: Diamond Tusk Pokémon

Type: Fairy

Height: 48.77cm (1.6ft)

Weight: 22kg (48.50lb)

Evolution: One Stage (EXP Triggered)

Battle Mechanics

Ability: Gem Cutter (Powers up Rock-type Moves)

Hidden Ability: None at Current

Egg Group: Fairy

Signature Move(s): None

Base Stats

Characteristics

Appearance: Geminez is a small quadrupedal Pokémon whose tan body is covered with light pink stripes. The face of this Pokémon is stunted and squashed in, and is covered with an array of bumps and has a pair of downward facing tusks sticking out of its mouth. At the other end of the Pokémon is a small stubby tail that is tipped with pale pink hairs

The body of Geminez is covered in tiny crystal protrusions, with a single row of pink rose-quartz crystals running down its spine. Likewise the tusks and protrusions on this Pokémon’s face are also made of crystal, although they aren’t as shiny as those on its back, mostly because they are used to crush and cut the ores it feeds on.

Ecology: Geminez is a small Pokémon that feeds on mineral ores and crystals in mine shafts and cave entrances around the Invicita region. During the day it stays in these subterranean spaces, although it doesn’t venture too far underground, mostly because there are multiple Pokémon lurking in the darkness that would readily prey on it. Chief among these is Sableye who happily stalks and kills this Pokémon, but only feeds on the gemstones that protrude from its body. Because of this, Geminez seeks shelter in scrub and forest areas as Sableye is more active at night, and often comes to the mouths of the caverns it lives in, the areas Geminez inhabits during the day.

The crystals on Geminez’s nose and tusks are fairly hard, and are used to dig up its food and then slice it open since cut gems are softer on its teeth. Because of these tasks, the tusks often appear warn compared to the ridge of quartz stones running along its back. These spines grow larger as Geminez ages because it accumulates minerals from the ore it feeds on. Occasionally these pink gemstones blush red or another colour, usually due to unusual concentrations of salts it has eaten.

Geminez are mostly solitary, only coming together if they choose to sleep in the same place to avoid predation. In fact the Pokémon violently defends the section of mine it inhabits, and often chase their fellows away and will even go as far as killing them to defend its crystal stash. Geminez sometimes hunts and chews the rocky skin of Carbink in order to accumulate more gemstones, although this only occurs when the minerals it feeds on runs out. Once their food runs out Geminez often starves, and they attract scavengers like Sableye and Opipoke who quickly strip its bones of any edible food.

Trivia

Origin: Geminez is based on many pig like animals, in particularly Razorbacks and the young of Wild Boar. The knobs on Geminez's nose may also be based on the prehistoric genus of mammal Uimtatherium. In addition its body is covered in Rose Quartz, a real world mineral use in faith healing.

Name Origin: Geminez’s name comes from gem and nez (the French translation of nose)

Thunder Snow?! Yeah I’d never heard of it before either, at least not until it dropped an ice cold surprise on my home and car. Luckily memories of last week’s issue the Bearded Fireworm (and multiple cups of coffee) were enough to keep me warm through the night. This week we’re drifting along the ocean surface, hope you guys enjoy…

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Issue #156 – Buoy Barnacle

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Arthropoda

Class – Maxillopoda

Order – Pedunctula

Family – Lepadidae

Genus – Dosima

Species – fascicularus

Related Species - Buoy Barnacles are members of the Goose Barnacle Order (1)

Range - Buoy Barnacles are found in temperate and tropical marine waters around the world, often floating just under the ocean’s surface

Bobbing Along…

Buoy Barnacles are medium sized goose barnacles, with a capitulum, which in effect is the animals ‘shell’ and is formed of five large blue plates. Unlike the more familiar acorn barnacles found on rocky shores, the goose barnacles, sometimes also called goose necked barnacles, have their capitulum on the end of a stalk with the other end anchored to a rock, or in the case of the Buoy Barnacle, a float formed out of a natural spongey cement created from glands, and designed to keep the creature afloat. This cement is the same chemical that keeps shore dwelling barnacles attached to rocks, and is designed to withstand long term submersion in sea water (2). Within the barnacle shell, the animal’s actual body resembled a shrimp, with the animal shedding its skin within its casing, rather than expanding the protective plates around it.

The legs of this internal form are one of the few organs that emerge from the tip of the capitulum where they are used to fan oxygenated water over its body. These legs are also used to filter the plankton the barnacle feeds into its shell. It’s access to food that led the Buoy Barnacle out into open water since the species is a ‘fugitive organism’ and can’t effectively compete with other species in similar niches in the habitat it evolved in, effectively forcing it into a new habitat. As the only pelagic barnacle and with little predation, the Buoy Barnacle has managed to avoid competing with other filter feeding animals on the shore line, and had thrived in its new environment.

Buoy Barnacles mature rapidly, and within fifty days of either creating a float or colonising an existing floating object, are able to reproduce. Since barnacles are not broadcast spawners, the Buoy Barnacle has to rely on other barnacles of the same species attaching to the same float, something that can lead to massive clumps of barnacles floating along together. Once reproduction has completed the eggs are released into the water stream. Upon hatching the larval barnacle known as a Naupilus drifts in the plankton for up to a half a year before maturing into a Cyprid larvae (3). This larval form of barnacle doesn’t feed, instead relaying on the resources it accumulated earlier to swim around and find a floating object to mature into an adult barnacle on.

Five Bizarre Barnacle Facts

Goose Barnacles were long thought to be the plants whose tips grew into Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis), possibly due to the bird like appearance of their stalks and that they were often found growing on driftwood. It wasn’t until 1456 that this was debunked on the orders of the Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick the II, who was well known for having great tolerance and a thirst for knowledge.

Even after this suffered from misclassification, often being grouped with molluscs simply because they had shells. It wasn’t until observations made by Charles Darwin in 1854, that he concluded that they were crustaceans, and thus more closely related to crabs then snails and clams.

It was barnacle reproduction that attracted Darwin to barnacles (4). While most species are hermaphrodites, barnacles can’t self-fertilise, and instead use an elongated penis to pass sperm to one another. Relative to the size of its owner, these penises are the longest in the animal kingdom, which can be up to fifty time longer than the animal it is attached to.

Barnacles sometimes grown in other animals, most notably Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). While painful looking, most barnacles don’t harm their ‘hosts’ since they don’t rely on roots to keep them attached, but rather a natural cement as mentioned earlier.

Despite this there are parasitic barnacles, as mentioned in a previous issue that infect crabs, but some species also infest vertebrate prey. First descrubed by Charles Darwin (he really liked barnacles) in 1851, the parasitic barnacle Anelasma squalicola has been discovered growing on lantern sharks (Etompterus sp) and unlike the majority of its relatives, feeds on the nutrients using a root like anchor. This ‘theft’ of nutrients effects the shark’s reproduction system, effectively chemically castrating them for the rest of their lives.

Bibliography

1 - www.arkive.org

2 - E. Bourget (1987). Barnacle shells: composition, structure, and growth. pp. 267–285

3 - Donald Thomas Anderson (1994). "Larval development and metamorphosis". Barnacles: Structure, Function, Development and Evolution. Springer. pp. 197–246

4 - http://mentalfloss.com/article/83887/darwins-obsession-barnacle-penises-makes-lot-sense-now

5 - https://sharkdevocean.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/shark-eating-barnacles/

Picture References

1 - http://www.marlin.ac.uk/assets/images/marlin/species/web/o_dosfas.jpg

2 - https://scientistinlimbo.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/dscn6917.jpg

3 - http://boingboing.net/filesroot/080206150703-large.jpg

4 - http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/files/2014/06/Shark_barnacle.jpg

I like barnacles more than I like snow, well I like most of them more anyway. Next week we look under the ‘rug’ at an often overlooked animal, but until then make sure to critic, comment and suggest future issues as well as making sure you check past issues in Impurest’s Bestiary.

Many Thanks

Impurest Cheese

Want more IGTA? We’ve covered floating animals before and they are always really cool! For a true seaman, click here to meet the ‘By the Wind Sailor’. Or for another nautical navigator click here to see the Greater Argonaut.

Name: Rhapsapen

National Dex Number: #165

Flavour Text: Known as ‘War’s Undertaker’, Rhapsapen flocks across ancient battlefields singing an eerie song. Hearing more than a few bars of its lament is said to cause a sense of dread in all but the strongest human minds who hear it.

Species: Lamentation Pokémon

Type: Normal/Flying

Height: 64cm (2.1ft)

Weight: 12kg (26.45lb)

Evolution: One Stage (EXP Triggered)

Battle Mechanics

Ability: Keen Eye (Prevents the users Accuracy from being lowered and ignores any increase in Evasiveness)/Echo Chamber (All of this Pokémon’s Sound Attacks are boosted by 1.2x but at the cost of their ability to penetrate substitutes)

Hidden Ability: Scrappy (This Pokémon can hit Ghost Pokémon with both Normal and Fighting Attacks)

Egg Group: Field/Flying

Signature Move(s): Harbinger’s Scream (Psychic Attack - 50BP) The user screams a warning before striking. This attacks base power doubles if the user strikes the target first.

Base Stats

Characteristics

Appearance: Rhapsapen is a medium sized black plumed bird like Pokémon with beady black eyes that show a hint of otherworldly intelligence. These eyes are set upon a white mask like marking that covers the face save for the eyes, beak and back of the head, and appears to have a feathered edge. This Pokémon’s bill, like most of its body is completely black and heavily built whilst the feet are quite delicate and marked by a gold band just below the knee where its plumage ends.

Rhapsapen’s wings are wide and designed for long periods of continuous flight, with this Pokémon known to travel the length and breadth of Invictia to find those who it seeks. The last flight feather on each wing is slightly hooked and stiffed, and in times of dire need, can be used by the Pokémon to defend itself from those who wish to make an enemy of it.

Ecology: Invictia and War are two words that go hand in hand, with ancient conflicts against its regional rival to the South East Kalos well recorded, as are some of the more heated civil wars between villages in times of desperation. Because of its affinity to the battlefield and its bizarre wailing song Rhapsapen got many names in folklore such as the ‘Soldier’s Lament’ and the ‘Black Bird of War’. The most common of these names however, is ‘War’s Undertaker’ because this Pokémon is known to feast well on corpses and the insects attracted to them after battles. In fact even outside of battle, carrion makes up a large part of this Pokémon’s diet, although it also forages on eggs, insects and berries.

That said, when feasting on brave soldiers, Rhapsapen is willing to pay for the pleasure, and the largest and strongest of the feeding Pokémon will take a token from the body and fly it to the loved ones of the fallen to return proof of their demise, and to sing a lament of regret at their falling. During this flight, Rhapsapen is vulnerable to attack, particularly from Aceciptear and its evolved form Gosprey, both of whom having a disliking to this Pokémon. Should the first messenger fall, other Rhapsapen will take up the task, until the token is delivered.

Rhapsapen is often associated with Dusknoir, another Pokémon known to haunt battlefields, and is sometimes called ‘The Gripper’s Herald’. In truth Rhapsapen is wary of Dusknoir, since this Pokémon visits battlefields to take souls to the spirit world, mostly because well fed scavengers often have obtain a temporary essence of those they have fed on. Often a warning scream is enough to persuade Dusknoir that they are alive, although this sometimes occurs its wrath as it doesn’t like being tricked by the living.

Trivia

Origin: Rhapsapen is based primarily on the Common Raven (Corvus corax) with a little inspiration (in regards to the markings) from Victorian Death Masks and bird identification ringing. The behaviour of this Pokémon is based on a lot of folklore regarding real world corvids, including stories originating from Serbia of ravens bringing jewellery of fallen soldiers to their family as proof of their demise.

Name Origin: Rhapsapen is a mixture of the words Rhapsody and Raven

Other: Rhapsapen is the creation of @avenging_x_bolt and permission from them is required to use this Pokémon

Name: Scarcen

National Dex Number: #125

Flavour Text: Scarcen’s telekinetic power flows through the surrounding stones unchecked. Should it become surprised the stones it levitates above it fall from the sky like a hail of bullets.

Species: Fieldstone Pokémon

Type: Rock/Psychic

Height: 140cm (4.6ft)

Weight: 120kg (264.55lb)

Evolution: No Evolution

Battle Mechanics

Ability: Levitate (This Pokémon hangs above the ground using a mysterious power making it immune to most damaging ground attacks)

Hidden Ability: None at Current

Egg Group: Mineral

Signature Move(s): Sacred Sigel (Psychic Attack) The defending Pokémon is marked with a mysterious rune that increases the change of being inflicted with secondary attack effects by 50%. Can be Baton Passed.

Base Stats

Characteristics

Appearance: When at rest Scarcen appears to be nothing more than a stone marker sticking out of the ground. Only when touched, or raised from its sleep by an overpowering psychic force does it reveal its true nature. When alert the dark grey of its body is lit up by green markings resembling a whirlpool and a pair of wings on its back, and a large sword and an open eye on the front. Should it need to Scarcen can bring these markings forth with its psychic power and attack with them, something which temporarily removes them from its body.

Above Scarcen’s head is a floating orbit of seven stones, all surrounded by a glowing green aura and supporting a single green spot. Contrary to appearance, these satellite stones are the Pokémon’s eyes, and not the marking it supports on its body. Because these stones orbit above it, Scarcen has a 360 degree view of the world and can even send one of its orbiting stones far away in times of need to spy on its enemies or to deliver messages to its friend.

Ecology: Scarcen is often found on open grassland and on high fells and downs, usually half buried in the mud, where its psychic power is supressed by being in contact with the ground. It will often choose to rest in areas where the indigenous Invictian people have created other marker stones to avoid being attacked by its enemies. While all Scarcen are tied to a single dream state, individuals can be woken by even a light impact such as a tap or in some cases a single breath. When struck by a heavy impact such as Mauldoza attempting to uproot it from its slumber, the impact can awake multiple Scarcen in the local area, something that can unusual shifts in time and gravity if they all decide to focus their power in a single spot.

When awoken Scarcen will levitate a number of small stones that act as the Pokémon’s eyes. During ancient times Scarcen owned by Pokémon Trainers would send one of their satellite stones to their master’s allies and pass on psychic messages to warn them of danger, or to pass tidings of joy. It is thought that these stones are being manipulated by a gravitonic shift, and as evidence multiple times in the field, should Scarcen’s concentration be broken, these stones fall like bullets around it with enough impact to stun or even kill anyone caught in this stony crossfire. Should this occur, Scarcen makes no attempt to help those it hurt and simply retrieves its dropped stones and returns them to its rightful orbit.

When attacked, Scarcen fights with the runes on its body, preferring to battle with the sacred sword etched on its front. In addition to being a powerful fencer, Scarcen can summon massive gravity storms that are powerful enough to rip up trees and boulders, although it prefers to use this attack as a last resort. Should the energy powering Scarcen fade, this Pokémon drops to the ground with enough force to bury it into the countryside where it remains ready to be awoken once again.

Trivia

Origin: Scarcen in based on the standing stones that were used to create ancient monuments such as Stonehenge.

Name Origin: Scarcen is a combination of the old English word Scarum (a term for a unthinking or uncontrollable individual) and Sarsen (a term for a rock used as part of a stone circle)

Other: Scarcen is one of the ten original Invictian Pokémon designs created in 2011.

Name: Invictian Venomoth

National Dex Number: #059

Complete Dex Number: #049

Flavour Text: The hypnotic patterns on Venomoth’s wings shift with ever beat it takes. While not possessing the strongest psychic powers, the addition of mind altering chemicals in the scales it sheds make it an expert in hypnotising other Pokémon.

Species: Poison Moth

Type: Bug/Psychic

Height: 150cm (4,11ft)

Weight: 12.5kg (27.6lb)

Evolution: Venonat (L31) -> Venomoth

Battle Mechanics

Ability: Compound Eyes (This Pokémon’s keen vision improves Attack accuracy)/Marvel Scale (When afflicted by a status condition this Pokémon’s defence is raised by 50%)

Hidden Ability: Tinted Lens (The damage done by the Pokémon’s least effective moves are doubled)

Egg Group: Bug

Signature Move(s): None

Base Stats

Characteristics

Appearance: The Invictian form of Venomoth keeps much of the same body design as its counterparts from other regions, although there are noticeable differences in colouration, head structure and markings. While the Pokémon retains the soft lilac colouring of its relatives, the wings are marked with a large red eye with a black ‘pupil’ centre. This eye seems to be able to move, squint, dilate in intense light and close suddenly, although it is speculated that this may simply be the effect of an illusion caused by Venomoth’s hypnotic powers.

The actual eyes of Venomoth are also different to its relatives, with the lenses looking far more glazed over, although this doesn’t seem to impede their owner’s vision when travelling or looking for food. In addition the horns on this Pokémon’s head are shorter, and have a red line that runs down to form a V-Shape across the face with terminates just above the mouth. Similar markings can also be found running along the veins in Venomoth’s wings up to the two eye spot markings.

Ecology: Like its relatives elsewhere, Venomoth is largely nocturnal, emerging from large caves just before dusk and returning to them before dawn. Because Venomoth’s body couldn’t take the constant bombardment of ultrasonic waves from its nocturnal neighbours such as Zubat, it focused on banishing the sound from its mind, but ended up becoming so inward focused that its brain functions spiked, awakening the Pokémon’s latent powers. Now with its potential finally reached, Venomoth banished the Zubat it shared its home with, and set out to live its new life.

While Venomoth’s diet remains the same, being a consumer of nectar, tree sap and honey, its methods of getting this food is vastly different to those found in Kalos and Kanto. Shortly after its powers developed, Venomoth learned that a combination of the eye spots on its wings and the mind controlling scales it now constantly sheds as thin powder can take over the minds of most Pokémon that cross its path. With the potential to now enslave others, Venomoth sends its drones out to collect food and defend it, whilst it sits in its cave and concentrates on its own power. This lead to the development of a very possessive nature with Venomoth refusing to release its slave army or even feed them, which eventually resulted in its drones dying mid task for their unkind master.

Because of this rapid turn-over, Venomoth launches raids on nearby forests on the night of the full moon. While Pokémon are the main targets for Venomoth’s hypnotic powers, it is not above hypnotizing an entire village of people and working them to death. In some areas of Invicita, the remains of towns that Venomoth came across and enslaved still stand, untouched by human or Pokémon. It is said that entering one of these towns, even briefly will place a psychic target on the intruder that attracts Venomoth and makes them particularly susceptible to its hypnotic powers.

Trivia

Origin: Venomoth is based on both moths and butterflies. The basis of the eye-spot design is based on the Owl Butterflies which use fake eyes to scare away predators.

Name Origin: Venomoth is a combination of the words Venom or Venomous and Moth.

January is a sad month, almost as sad as November, with both suffering from a lack of festive cheer thanks to that glory hog December. No wonder some people and animals take to drink as seen last week with the tipsy Bohemian Waxwing. This week we’re getting a little wet with what appears to be a swimming beard? Hope you guys enjoy…

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Issue #155 – Bearded Fireworm

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Annelida

Class – Polychaeta

Order – Amphinomida

Family – Amphinomidae

Genus – Hermocidae

Species – carunculata

Related Species - Bearded Fireworms are members of the Polychaete Worms a group that includes the formidable Bobbit Worm (1)

Range - Bearded Fireworms can be found on the sea floor in shallow tropical waters in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

Generic Pirate #02 and the Beard of Fire

Bearded Fireworms are medium sized segmented worms that grown on average to a length of 15cm, although specimens twice this size have been caught and reliably recorded. The most distinguished feature of this species is the row of orange gills surrounded by white bristle like structures that look like a long luxurious beard. The worms actual body is split into sixty to over a hundred segments, with each segment possessing a pair of parapodia that are used in locomotion.

Bearded Fireworms are obligate carnivores, and will willingly scavenge on carrion, as well as killing injured prey and ripping polyps off of hard corals. Because it is a slow swimmer, these fireworms rely on the venom contained in the rows of bristles running down their flanks. In any humans foolish enough to touch one of these worms, the venom leaves an intense burning sensation in the area contact was made, along with nausea and dizziness. In addition, the bristles are an irritant, and may detach into a potential attacker, and in humans need to be removed to help alleviate the pain from the envenomation (2).

Unlike the majority of worms, Bearded Fireworms have defined genders. Breeding occurs at night at the surface of the ocean, with the females glowing green to attract the attention of any males in the area. In response the males swim towards her, flashing green himself before constricting around her, often in the company of other males. Once surrounded the females releases a stream of unfertilised eggs into the water stream, which the males fertilise. The fertilised eggs and newly hatched larvae will generally float in the plankton until they mature and descend to the seabed to begin their adult lives.

Nature’s Most Wanted #9 - European Fan Worm

European Fan Worms (Sabella spallanzanii) are tube worms from the coastal waters of Europe which reach a foot in length and filter plankton out of the water using their large crown of feeding tentacles. While the adults are sedentary, the larvae drift in the plankton and have been carried in ballast water to areas as far flung as Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, with the young worms quickly colonising new sections of sea bed and other underwater structures.

While the Fan Worms are an important part of the European marine ecosystem, where they effectively filter bacteria that cause illness in fish out of the water, in their non-native ranges they can cause great economic and ecological damage. Because they are filter feeders the worms compete for food with native filter feeders, and with no predators their numbers can expand quickly with no effective controls to halt their spread. In addition, fan worms often grow on Sea Grass, and bend their leaves with the weight of their tubes, effectively cutting off the plant’s supply of sunlight.

While Fan Worms compete with mussels and clams for food in shellfish farms, the main economic effect that the species has is its ability to alter water current flow (4). Large numbers of Fan Worms can reduce the flow of incoming nutrients and effectively create areas of low oxygen, almost stagnant ‘dead zones’. At current the only way that this species can be contained is by manual removal of adult worms, although areas are often quickly recolonised due to the quick maturation rate of this species and large number of young produced per breeding cycle.

Bibliography

1 - www.arkive.org

2 - Mehr, S.F.M., Verdes, A., DeSalle, R., Sparks, J., Pieribone, V. and D. F. Gruber. 2015. Transcriptome sequencing and annotation of the polychaete Hermodice carunculata (Annelida, Amphinomidae)”, BMC Genomics, 16:445.

3 - http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=292

4 - http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=1046

Picture References

1 - http://www.weheartdiving.com/wp-content/uploads/bearded-fireworm-hermodice-carunculata-featured-image.jpg

2 - https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TaY4Vz0zfII/maxresdefault.jpg

3 - https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ESPgD2erlhU/hqdefault.jpg

4 - http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0010/636751/Euro-fan-worm.jpg

Worms, you have to love them, or you know be repulsed by them. Next week we have a buoyant issue, but until then make sure to critic, comment and suggest future issues as well as making sure you check past issues in Impurest’s Bestiary.

Many Thanks

Impurest Cheese

Want more IGTA? For another squirmy issue which can light up an ocean, click here to see the Groovy Green Bomber Worm. Or for a dose of vintage nightmare fuel, click here to meet the Brutal Bobbit Worm.