Oculahelixa floaterus
Floaterus is a surface-dwelling helid descended from D. ocellurisa. They feature a variety of improvements over their ancestor, including enhanced eyes and the ability to control their position in the water column using special chambers inside of their shells.
During the day, floaterus spends its time on the bottom of Zone 7 hidden amongst the rocks in small caves and crevices. At dawn and dusk, when predators are less active, they can be found floating at the surface of the water feeding on the floating carcasses of species such as S. neorhina, S. electrica, M. makoprima, and Gigoslontus spp.
Because their camouflage cannot work as effectively under these conditions, they are left in a compromised position. Floaterus features depressed pinhole eyes, which focus light on their photoreceptors and allows them to detect predators from a greater distance. When they detect a predator approaching, floaterus retracts its body and tentacles into its shell and opens up a special gas-filled chamber in its shell that fills with water to increase its density. It then sinks to the bottom, and burrows away to safety once contacting the substrate.
To increase their buoyancy and return to the surface, floaterus uses a strand of tissue connected to the inside of their special shell chamber. By flowing high-salinity blood through the tissue, water is absorbed into the tissue and is then expelled. This is a passive, time-consuming process, so it can take a few hours to become buoyant enough to return to the surface.
Like their ancestor, they reproduce asexually during the winter and store their eggs in their shells. When the eggs hatch, they leave the parent's shell and begin feeding on detritus and biofilm until they are large enough to consume larger food material.
Adults have a shell diameter of 5-10 centimeters, with tentacles reaching 10-20 centimeters.
