Tropofly

Tropofly
(Retrocapillum quietapenna)
Information
Creator	Bufforpington Other
Week/Generation	26/163
Habitat	Sagan 4 Troposphere
Size	13 cm long
Primary Mobility	Unknown
Support	Exoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet	Herbivore (Cloudgrass, Cloudbubble, Parasitic Floats, Hair Nimbuses)
Respiration	Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation	Ectotherm (Basking)
Reproduction	Sexual, Hermaphrodite (Eggs)
Taxonomy
Domain Kingdom Subkingdom Phylum Class Subclass Order Superfamily Family Genus Species	Eukaryota Binucleozoa Symbiovermes (info) Thoracocephalia Optidorsalia Polyptera (info) Criniptera Aeolovermoidea Retrocapillidae Retrocapillum Retrocapillum quietapenna

Ancestor:	Descendants:
Cloudbubble Tropoworm	Blood Tropofly

With the troposphere growing more biodiverse and new flora taking to the skies, one of the most revolutionary species at the time was the Cloudgrass. Its large size and clustering nature attracted large numbers of cloudbubble tropoworms. Over time, this cloudgrass-eating population split off from the main population and evolved into the tropofly.

The tropofly's adaptations are generally split into two groups: those centered around living among the cloudgrass, and those that generally improve its ability to survive in the troposphere. The tropofly's wings have become even more broad than its ancestor, increasing the their surface area and ability to produce lift. This further decreases the number of times they need to beat their wings to stay aloft. This however, comes at the cost of their heterothermy, as they can no longer beat their wings vigorously enough to generate large quantities of body heat. The tropofly has also developed an eyespot in the center of its head that allows it to detect light and dark. This helps them determine what is above them. They often stay in darker areas like cloudgrass patches, where they are safer from potential predators. They however, are not nocturnal, as they still require the sun's heat to keep them warm while out in the open. They often rest in cloudgrass patches during the night, using the cloudgrass' clustering to insulate them from the cold.

With the advent of the cloudgrass, there is now a form of sky flora that is large enough for small animals to rest on. As a result, the tropofly has become smaller than its ancestor, allowing it to rest atop the cloudgrass. Its chemoreceptive antennae and caudal bristles have become prenhensile and equipped with stiff, backwards-facing bristles. These bristles allow them to grip the surface of the cloudgrass they rest on. The tropofly has also developed an extra joint in their mandibles, increasing their ability to manipulate their food. Tropoflies primarily feed on the cloudgrass' leaves along with whatever commensalist or parasite is growing on the main body. Tropoflies will rarely consume any other part of the cloudgrass. Tropoflies will also feed on cloudbubbles if available, but will generally prefer to rest on cloudgrass and feed on their leaves.

The tropofly is a gregarious organism, with it often living in loose communities around cloudgrass patches. If a patch dies off or is eaten into oblivion, the community will form a loose 'flock' and fly off to search for another patch of cloudgrass. If two 'flocks' encounter each other while migrating, individuals from one flock may accidentally end up in the other. If a 'flock' encounters a community settled around a patch of cloudgrass and conditions are favorable, they will mate. Like the cloudbubble tropoworm, the tropofly will lay its eggs on some form of flora. In this case, it is the cloudgrass. Tropoflies will carve a shallow gash into the cloudgrass and lay their eggs in it. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will begin to chew their way through the cloudgrass. The tropofly's larva are smaller and simpler than those of its ancestor, with it hatching at 0.5 mm in length and lacking wings. The larvae chew extensive galleries throughout the cloudgrass. The tropofly will develop its wings once it reaches 5 mm in length. It is also at this time when the tropofly larvae have caused so much damage to the cloudgrass that it loses buoyancy and falls out of the sky. It is at this time when the tropofly larvae emerge and enter the second stage of their life. It is at this time when they switch their diet to hair nimbuses. Once they grow to 3 cm long, they switch their diet for the final time to cloudgrass leaves, commensalists, and parasites.