Balloon Sukapod
A new parasite of P. deserta in zone I, this small muscal has developed to better survive the harsh conditions present within their zone. Mainly, they now have a very efficient method of stockpiling food. This being that they are able to expand their stomach to a very large size. This is because the muscle tissue around their stomach is extremely elastic, allowing for the stomach to expand while still functioning normally. This causes the plates of their exoskeletons to push apart while the skin beneath them stretches to accommodate their huge stomach. Because of this increased size, they have become noticeably flatter while in their non-inflated state. This adaption is so that even while expanded, they do not have much larger of a profile than other sukapods. Their legs are also shorter to help achieve this. This is not much of a setback for them, as they have no reason to be very mobile. They retain many of their ancestors’ behaviors, as there was no pressure to change those behaviors. They still use their long antennae to feel out their environment, as their sight is limited. They are most active in the night, usually finding a location to set up during the daytime. They feed from the phloem of P. deserta, latching onto one area for days at a time until the phloem runs dry. To help them stay in place, they have developed small barbs on the ends of their legs.
Lastly, their reproduction has altered slightly. They reproduce not just after rains, however still infrequently. (generally only 3 times per year). The males will starve themselves for weeks before, using up their stored food in that time, shrinking to their original size. Normally this would only occur during a food shortage, however they do this on purpose before mating so that they have much more freedom of movement. In their balloon state, they can barely move at all, so they use up their food reserves to help them move. This movement is mostly so that they can reach females to mate with. The females remain inflated, with the males coming to them to mate. The female will lay a clutch of 2-6 eggs (depending on how much food she has stored, as they create the eggs using that energy. The more they have to spare, the more eggs they make). The eggs take 2 weeks to hatch. The young hatch at 4cm, growing to a maximum size of 10cm as adults.
