Licheiromimus lentus

Licheiromimus lentus
Creator	D̜͙̟͉ìn̨̹o̬̗C̼̮̣͡óaͅt͜
Information
Status	Extant
Zones	1, 9
Roles	Detritivore
Classification
Genus	Licheiromimus
Species	Licheiromimus lentus
Evolution
Date	February 22nd, 2019
Ancestor	Fungera primus
Descendants	Licheiromimus captotectumi

While many of the descendants of Fungera primus, the first synaplot of OurFoodChain, took to decomposing matter or even parasitism, Fungera lentus is found growing on rocks in colonies. Colonial mycelium cells on the surface of Fungera lentus colonies cannot move freely, which means that any edible particles must be moved to them by external forces. This causes the cells to have an exceptionally low metabolism, causing these colonies to grow extremely slowly. So slowly, that is, that it may take several centuries for a colony to reach its full size and potential.

Fungera lentus colonies may grow up to 50 centimeters in diameter and up to 10 cm in thickness, but take many years to grow. Taking a long time to grow may seem detrimental to these synaplots, but Fungera lentus lacks natural predators and is able to tolerate somewhat hostile environments as it is able to last a long time without nutrition with its slowed metabolism.

The colonies of Fungera lentus consist of body cells that have a slightly sticky membrane, attaching to each other after splitting, which is what allows them to stay relatively stable on foundations such as rocks and mineral deposits. Zoospore cells are gradually produced from the pores and loosen from the colony and are blown off by ocean currents, attaching to new surfaces that they are drifted onto and attempting to start new colonies of their own. As the colonies grow, aging cells beneath those at the surface will voluntarily die and create a hard structure, and other cells will grow over preexisting cells.