Pitcarus uops

Pitcarus uops
Creator	HorrortheTerror
Information
Status	Extant
Zones	M
Roles	Decomposer, Parasite, Predator
Classification
Genus	Pitcarus
Species	Pitcarus uops
Evolution
Date	July 11th, 2022
Ancestor	Pitcarus siojika
Descendants	No results

Pitcarus siojika populations diminished as temperatures dropped and winters became harsher in South Etelama. Relict populations on the northern coasts adapted to the new climate, giving way to Pitcarus uops.

P. uops possesses 4 pairs of flagella, a cell wall, cell capsule, loose DNA, and ribosomes. It breaks down organic matter with enzymes for nutrients and reproduces through binary fission. It has also developed starches granules, which act as energy store and can be broken down into shorter chain sugars to act as a cryoprotectant.

P. uops lives in the burrows of Capilliarmus spp. and pockets of unfrozen detritus or water. When exposed to freezing temperatures, they will form a cyst, halting growth and reproduction, thickening their cell wall, contracting their cytoplasm, and displacing some of their cell's water content with sugars to prevent ice crystal formation. This cyst is also resistant to stomach acids, allowing P. uops to be dispersed by muscals after being ingested, such as Moraldubious spp. and Capilliarmus spp. It may also be dispersed on the skin/integuments of said muscals while encysted.

Occasionally, P. uops will infest the “water tank” of Seruceius australensis polyphs (being trapped inside as they grow) and Spherum panensis, consuming their extracellular starches. When living among colonies of Amplusphaeria abstractus, it will secrete a necrotic enzymes that lyses A. abstractus cells, releasing sugars and antifreeze compounds which are absorbed by P. uops.

P. uops reproduces once every 30 minutes; however, this rate may plummet to as low as once every several days, depending on temperature and food availability.