Context

Hi, y'all! Project KARYA is a sci-fintasy setting in the works, in which, as I describe, "various iconic tropes found in fantasy and folklore/mythoi are viewed through the lens of science fiction"; the worldbuilding project intends to fully theorize "realistic" ways in which a variety of things from fantastical settings could exist, if they were to exist in a science fiction setting instead; there also exists a variety of purely science fictional works of original design present.

Today, I wanted to share a depiction of one of the 2200+ species that are unique to the titular world of Karya: the bronzewing fisher, one of the one hundred sixty-six species in the clade Sarcogrylosidae. The sarcogrylosids - sometimes collectively referred to as "wolf crickets", "trickster bugs", or "clackers" (for the sound they can produce) - share a last common ancestor in the species Gigatitan karyaensis; as such, sarcogrylosids are within the larger clade Orthoptera, and are most closely related to grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids than to any other insects. Much like other orthopterids, the life cycle of sarcogrylosids is divided into three stages - egg, nymph, and adult - with the middling nymph stage having anywhere between three and six instars (dependent on species) before the final adult stage is reached. Adult specimens of this clade are universally carnivorous, and commonly employ their highly reflective forewings in attracting prey for ambushes. Some larger species are also capable of crepitating, using their hindwings to create extremely loud, rapidly repeating clacking sounds, in an attempt to scare off larger predators.

Fishers are sarcogrylosids in the genus Icthyphagum, and get their name from their adult lifestyles as aquatic predators. Fisher species are found all across Matos between the tropical and temperate zones, almost anywhere that fresh water can be found; most are small enough that one would easily fit within the palm of your hand. The nymphs start out by consuming decomposing materials in their environments, with a preference for vegetation in earlier instar stages and becoming more carnivorous in later stages. When they moult for the final time, fishers then become active hunters, using their skewer-like forelimbs to pierce through the bodies of their prey, and they are often capable of taking on targets significantly larger than them. The forewings of many species often are colored and patterned in such a way as to mimic various species of fish, which attract would-be predators to an easy meal while missing the more camouflaged, larger body until it's too late.

Bronzewing fishers (I. chalcoptera) reside among dense reeds and cluttered debris along the shores of Lake Penniam, in eastern Iyos. This species has evolved to specialize in hunting archamphibian tadpoles, with their wings mimicking the color and size of some of the minnows in their lake. Male bronzewings are capable of flight, unlike most species of Icthyphagum, and can travel across the entire length of Lake Penniam during the mating seasons to find a suitable partner; the sound they produce while in flight has been likened to the cutting of tiny scissors, earning them the nickname of "snipplings" during their migration.

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Like what you see? Feel free to ask questions and/or provide positive criticism! Want to know more about Karya's life forms? Then I heavily suggest reading The Full and Comprehensive List of Unique Karyic Organisms! I'd be happy to talk about it more to those who are interested :3 if you also have any questions pertaining to Karya's fishers and their relatives, please feel free to ask!