Tenebrinatus mobius
This species is derived from T. calefaceus and has many of the same characteristics as it yet different. Each individual is roughly 2mm long and amoeba-like. It is irregularly shaped and forms colonies. It is different from T. calefaceus because of its colony forming habits. It forms colonies of up to 100,000 individuals, though the most common is 75,000. The colonies move across the landscape. They still photosynthesize and the colonies “crawl” toward the sun (at a rate of around 1/30 m/week). They crawl by expanding and contracting their individual bodies synchronously which moves the colony. When the days are 24 hours long e.g. summer the colony does not move. When the sun does move, it moves with it. The colonies do not need to spend as much energy creating antifreeze because of their sun seeking abilities, the colonies can use that extra energy to reproduce/move. The color of mobius has also changed. The individuals create less antifreeze . Thus, less more purple pigment is being created and the creature is more of a greenish color. This greenish color helps obtain more light and heat from their surroundings.
Reproduction. The colonies reproduce by asexual reproduction. The individuals within the colony split and create replicas of themselves. Once the colony reaches the point of 100,000 individuals, the colony splits and creates 2 equally sized colonies. These 2 colonies then are on their own, completely independent.
As summer hits the colonies grow very fast and can split into 2 colonies in a matter of a weeks. This causes a massive die-off of the creatures as they all try to get into the light. In the coldest parts of winter the colonies more much more slowly (around 1/60m/week, when in the sun) and when not in the sun, they go into stasis, where they do not move, until the sun warms them, and they do not need to obtain nutrients.
Tenebrinatus mobius has no predators in Zone 8 and thus has no defensive measures except crawling away.
