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Phylogeny of Starruses

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Description

This is a revised cladogram of a group of megafaunal red plant derivatives native to the red dwarf planet Ilion. Although less abundant than the ubiquitous thraxes, humble hairy grubs, and diverse plicozoans, starruses have captured the interest of explorers and the public alike due to their mammalian qualities and mannerisms.

Anatomy

Tuning forks - The tuning forks are a bizarre, highly derived clade of coastal bottom-dwellers. While most starruses have poor vision, these are completely blind in the visible and infrared spectra. What at first appears to be an eye is actually the respiratory spiracle that migrated dorsally to function as a blowhole. The real eye is hidden under a pair of vestigial palps. The animal relies on electrical sensors in two specialized mouthparts to locate small fish. A quick shock immobilizes the prey. Unfortunately, this attack consumes energy and temporarily blinds the animal of its most reliable sense, leaving it vulnerable to higher order predators. A tuning fork must strike with precision.

Asterops – Named for the starfish-like appearance of their face (or, perhaps, star-nosed mole), asterops are hairless, tentacled predators of the lakes, seas, and coasts. Many species take advantage of the concealment provided by buoyphyte colonies, ambushing prey from above or below the water’s encrusted surface.

Whallabeasts – An early offshoot of asterops’ ancestor has taken to the sea, fusing several of its mouthparts into powerful jaws. The largest of these is capable of taking down zeppelins, the filter feeding giants of Ilion’s depths. Although their eye can only detect light and dark, two palps have developed into electrical sensors, similar to the tuning forks above.

From here on, all clades belong to the subgroup Ankylodactyla, which are defined by fusion of the palp bones. This gives the mouthparts the appearance of fingers rather than tentacles.

True wooly starruses – Wooly starruses are spread throughout the tree of Ankylodactyla and bear the closest resemblance to the group’s common ancestor. They are, however, paraphyletic so a basal group was named the “true” wooly starruses and the rest were given their own classification. True woolies can be identified by the characteristic cowlick on either side of the belly.

Four-tusked woolies – Males of these species bear horns reminiscent of Earthly hoofstock. The horns arose when the upper pair of tusks underwent additional fusion at the joints. The horns are used in defense, thermoregulation, display, and of course, fighting.

Pillar-legged woolies – Ilian land animals are not known for their size, but members of this group can grow as large as a rhinoceros. Ossification of the neuroskeleton gave these animals the strongest bones on the planet, allowing their limbs to support a substantial weight.

Murioids – Some resemble mice; others, rabbits. Innovations in sensory appendages give these animals the edge over their predators. The second-top pair of palps function solely as ears, while the center pair are whiskers. The second-bottom pair have been reduced to nubs used only in mating. Although lacking in depth perception, the eye is highly sensitive to motion, giving the animal a chance to escape before a predator gets the drop on it.

Treehuggers - four single-clawed feet led scientists to classify them as an ancestral form of starrus, which normally lack claws. But even a cursory look at the facial structure places this group firmly in Ankylodactyla. Treehuggers scamper up trees at speeds ranging from sloth to squirrel, cracking seedpods with rodent-like teeth. A single dorsal eye warns against monsters lurking in the upper branches. The claws are especially prominent in species from the rainforests of Aeneas and Pandaros, where those that lose grip will fall easy prey to the fog of war and devil’s archer, respectively. Knife-like claws help Deiphobus tropical species hack through the tangle of the redcap forest understory.

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Jburns272's avatar
Cool. These are very interesting creatures.