Name: Quadrupes desultor (galactic common scientific name) – Cillit-jel (Serez-ex common scientific name) – “Gel-beetles” Description: Gel-beetles are small, four-legged insect-like creatures. Despite their name, they have only a single tagma (a fused head and body) and no wings, vestigial or otherwise. Like other Sereven’a-native organisms, they have a preference for the cold. Behavior: Domestic gel-beetles are docile and don’t struggle when lifted. They produce quiet clicking noises past sundown. Tamability: Several domesticated varieties exist, for the purposes of composting and food. Where is it found?: Native to the forest floors of southern Sereven’a, the shifter homeworld, and near-exclusive to Ascended Superhive space. Rarity: In shifter colonies, common. Outside of them, very rare and difficult to acquire– most shifter colonies are reluctant to trade with outsiders. Diet/Method of gaining nutrients and energy: Detrivores. Gel-beetles consume leaf litter, table scraps and any form of decomposing matter you’d throw into the compost. Products?: Gel-beetles turn decomposing matter into compost, but the insects themselves are also delicious (according to shifters, at least.) They can be dried and eaten whole, mashed into a savoury paste, or even added to soups and stews for extra protein. A popular method of preparation entails placing them in a chamber with sweet gelatin for them to fill their stomachs with, then eating them live like popcorn. Reproduction: Gel-beetles are monoecious (hermaphroditic) and reproduce sexually. Egg-capsules are lain and produce upwards of 15 beetle larvae at a time. Larvae resemble small white worms with four twiggy antennae, and reach adulthood through pupation. Size: 3-5 cm long. Weight: Not very much. Lifespan: 6 years max, though they typically don’t live that long. Abilities: Very cold resistant due to specialized exoskeleton and antifreeze in blood Easily transported, easy to care for, easy to breed. Can be kept happily in a compost bin. Produces compost High in protein, beneficial fats, and vitamins. Can survive for some time in higher-temperature environments for a day or two before dying. Flaws: Restricted to cold biomes Prefers clot-soil over dirt Dies in especially high temperatures (30℃ or above) Other: n/a
