Hardyfruit
As populations of Beachfruit (Fructohelix altumincolas) grew along the coasts of Exterpetra, competition became a problem. This led to the evolution of the Grimfruit (Fructohelix cannibalus), which then put predation pressure on the remaining populations. Beachfruit took advantage of the wide variety of polyphs growing inland; but the need to rehydrate themselves and their eggs prevented them from staying there forever, along with not even being able to come inland at all during the dry season. Individuals that developed ways to stay inland longer were better able to avoid the coastal predators and take advantage of the polyphs. This led to a species that was able to cut ties with the ocean for good and finally be the first helicates to settle the inland regions of zone 5A.
10-15 centimeters long
To fully leave the water behind, the ancestors of the Jack's Gnathopod (Fructohelix loricatupellis) needed a way to avoid desiccation. The dense cover of vegetation provided some relief, they were not permanent solutions. It would only be when they grew chitinous scales from their skin that they could finally tolerate the heat. The scales are shed individually for growth. The species was able to stay on land full-time, even during the hot dry season. The main problem was that even the chitin was not enough in broad daylight, which meant the Jack's Gnathopod could not be active during the day. These globulids are primarily nocturnal, though they will also forage at dawn or dusk on occasion. The Jack’s Gnathopods are adaptable generalists, primarily eating the various plorts. Their beak grants them the ability to eat plort seeds, stems, roots, and leaves. While their diets mostly consist of polyph matter, they will not ignore any carcasses they come across whether it is inland or on the beaches of the zone. While their sensory tentacles have become shorter, they have also become thicker and more muscular which helps them with crawling on the ground with decent speed or to even aid in climbing though they are still relatively clumsy with the latter method of movement.
The arrival of the wet season marks the time for the Jack's Gnathopods to breed. Once they breed, the females retain the eggs within her egg pouch. The females retain the eggs in that pouch for their entire incubation, about a month, until they begin to hatch. Once the eggs hatch inside her, she proceeds to give birth to the young before leaving them. This instance of ovoviviparity evolved because it decreased the risk of the eggs drying out and dying from the open air. Once the young are born, they are independent and will feed on polyphs and the occasional bit of carrion while avoiding adult Jack's Gnathopods (that opportunistically eat the juveniles. The young take about 2 months to reach sexual maturity, although it takes them about 6 to reach full size.