Sexipede

Sexipede
Creator	HorrortheTerror
Information
Status	Extant
Common Name(s)	Sexipede
Zones	M
Roles	Base-consumer
Classification
Genus	Moraldubious
Species	Moraldubious patrawermis
Evolution
Date	March 15th, 2019
Ancestor	Unknown
Descendants	Ourboros Sexipedes

• • Zone:** M
  • Common name:** “sexipede”
  • Role:** base-consumer
  • Size:** less than 1cm as hatchlings, and 3cm long as adult

M. patrawermis is a pleuratodan(pleuratod?) that evolved to feed on polyphs, such as P. metriapatros, with hard seeds in zone M. Their digestive tract(like many other muscals at this time) lacks the gut microbiota needed to digest the seed coating and they don’t invest in using extra enzymes unlike other muscals. Instead, they developed an rather esoteric method of digesting their food; 4-6 individuals will attach their mouths and cloacas to eachother to connect their gastric system. A seed passing through will eventually have its outer coating dissolved, making it easier for the individuals near the end to digest it. Most seeds are killed but some are will survive and the ordeal actually makes it easier for them to germinate. However, this system causes nutrients to be unevenly distributed, with the sexipedes at the end receiving more proteins and carbohydrates while the ones at the beginning, if they are consuming P. metriapatros, receiving too much phosphorus and nitrogen from digesting the slime, which are usually excreted out with the seeds to help them grow, so every once in a while, the sexipedes detach themselves from eachother and the ones in the front will move to the back, providing the malnourished individuals that was formerly at the ingesting end with better nutrition.

To move, they will use the appendages on the side of their body to perform a kind of rectilinear progression where some sections will act a foot to grip the ground while others will move forward with the sections switching role each time. However, when there in a group, they’ll just treat the entire as a foot and move in a crawling motion(which is faster as it increases their stride length). Their ventral side is covered in a layer of mucus that helps them stick to any surface they’re crawling on. A thinner layer of mucus also covers their formal side but it is mostly used for smell and taste, with the former having a range of 0.5 meter. Seeds may stick to this layer and be dispersed elsewhere.

They reproduce during late fall, when populations will gather in an area, a behavior that is encouraged to increase genetic diversity, and burrow several feet underground groups will form bigger groups of 12-30 individuals and dilute their digestive enzymes to make their digestive tract more hospital for their gametes. The sperm and egg are then released, since sexipedes are hermaphroditical, and will travel to the individuals near the rear, where they will act as a kind of cocoon that protects and offer nutrients to the developing young. Before this, some individuals may transfer themselves to another chain of circumstances are dire enough. The groups will then hibernate, and when they emerge, the mega group will find and climb up the nearest M. metriapatros polyph and release their youngs, who usually number in 60-90, where they’ll eat the slime until they’re large enough to feed on seeds, which is when they’ll select group members and form gastric chains.