Alcyoneuvermia

**Alcyoneuvermians** are a clade of ambulospeculids that are alive today.

## Evolution and taxonomy

Alcyoneuvermians are unique ambulospeculid creatures. Unlike maiadorsans, whose understanding of the phylogenetic and evolutionary history has been met with several controversies and debates, the alcyoneuvermians have their fair share of more solid understanding. Despite their mammalian-like physiology, which, at one point, led some to believe they were related to maiadorsans, their completely different anatomical traits was fast to give us a clear picture of alcyoneuvermians as a completely different clade of ambulospeculids, much more related to the core ambulospeculid groups, and their mammalian-like attributes are, therefore, a product of convergent evolution. Alcyoneuvermians themselves have evolved several traits that allowed them to survive in conditions that maiadorsans would have problems in dealing with. Alcyoneuvermians are the basalmost clade of the core ambulospeculids, the Bassodiavermia clade, that originated 296 million years ago, being a sister clade to the much more diverse arthropod-like Bassodioidea clade, having originated shortly after, 294 million years ago. Alcyoneuvermians themselves split from their closest living relatives at that time, in the early Tenerian, but true alcyoneuvermians evolved 254 million years ago in the late Tenerian, having evolved several adaptations like extensive hairy integument, primitive internalized skeletons, unique mouth apparatus, and metabolisms that allowed them to better adapt to colder climates. After the Tenerian-Accomodatian extinction event, the main group of alcyoneuvermians originated, 212 million years ago, the diadematans. These include all the modern terrestrial alcyoneuvermians. The Diadematus is an ancient remnant of the basal ones, with simple proboscis, surviving in the isolated Terra Septentrionis. The cubiculudpisonians evolved in the Scelusian, 170 million years ago, having evolved jaws made by muscule and supported by armored plates from the head. The dpison from Media Insula is a primitive member of these, with a primitive jaw morphology with limited mobility as well. Insulaculioideans originated in the aftermath of the Scelusian-Variagene extinction event, 128 million years ago, evolving complex proboscis, advanced respiratory systems and skeletal anatomy, having split into two groups: the crinitusavemians, evolving 64 million years ago, and the duobarbaoideans, evolving 86 million years ago. Crinitusavemians are native to Media Insula and are characterized for retaining eight limbs and being oviparous. Crinitusavem originated in Media Insula, but has migrated to Auth, Terra Septentrionis and Occidentis, via swimming, and retains a beak supported by bony armored plates, but the insulaculians have reduced those in favour of more cartilaginous supports and having the central proboscis making most of the oral functions. The duobarbadoideans are instead viviparous and their mouths have more cartilaginous supports, and are also native to the Tenebris continental complex. Duonasus retained an armored beak, but it has soft muscular edges. The altumcubiculians originated 44 million years in the Recensgene, having diversified after the climate got colder and allowed their diversification in the wake of maiadorsan decline in some areas. Their mouths are completely supported by rings composed by muscles and may or may not be supported by cartilaginous remnants of their armored jaw plates.

Bassodidavermia (296-0)

* Alcyoneuvermia (254-0)
	+ Coral worm
	+ Diademata (212-0)
		- Diadematus glacies bestia
		- Cubiculudpisonia (170-0)
			* Dpison
			* Insulaculioidea (128-0)
				+ Crinitusavemia (64-0)
					- Crinitusavem
					- Insulaculian
				+ Duobarbaoidea (86-0)
					- Duonasus adipemrostrum
					- Altumcubiculia (44-0)
						* Altumbarba
						* Cubiculum
* Bassodioidea (294-0)

## Characteristics

   Alcyoneuvermians are a odd group of ambulospeculids. They have evolved a mammalian-like physique completely separated from maiadorsans, and that is notable when we compare the ways they developed their various features. Starting with the mouth apparatus, alcyoneuvermians have developed theirs in remarkable different ways. The coral worm is notable for having flower-like jaws, separated in four pointy lobes that have serrated teeth at their edges. These "petals" are actually composed of muscular edges coming from the central oral orifice. Its three proboscis are tube-like, but small, located at the center of the mouth. All the three proboscis proccess the food. *Diadematus* does not have jaws, unlike most other alcyoneuvermians. It has three long proboscis that it uses to graze for food. These proboscis are protected in a tough skin, however, so they are pretty armored, a compensation for not having "jaws" to protect these. The cubiculudpisonians, however, are notable for the evolution of jaws. These jaws, however, are not hyoid jaws, but rather composed by a derived lower skull bony plate, derived from its arthropod-like ancestors. These jaws have relatively limited mobility. The basalmost member, the dpison, is a specially notable example of this. Its bony jaws are composed of internalized plates that work as molars, to chew the plant material, but its motion is pretty limited, requiring the lateral proboscis, which are lodged inside the fleshy cheeky mouth, to work as tongues, to better direct the food alongside its mouth. The central proboscis of the dpison has served the role of extending outside of the mouth to gather the floral matter, like a very thin and pink elephant trunk. Dpisons feed through their central oral orifice, to which their proboscis work to direct the food to. Insulaculioideans, basally, have evolved a more flexible lower mouthpart, to help in this, however, many members of this clade have subsequently lost the lower armored jaw, in favour of other techniques. Crinitusavem has the most primitive mouthpart, comprised of a hardened beak, with a sharp rostrum and lower head plate, to work as a owl-like jaw. Its central proboscis is the one that feeds the creature (just like in all insulaculioideans), ending in a "three-fingered hand" to grab the food and consume it. The lateral proboscis are longer and end in harpoon-like ends, to stab prey. These proboscis are fully extendable and can be guarded inside the beak. The crinitusavem relatives, the insulaculians have reduced their armored jaws, and turned them into cartilage plates, which serve for simple muscle attachments for their central proboscis, which enlarged and became the main mouth as a result. Its lateral proboscis have also been repurposed, coming out from small orifices at the front of the eyes of the insulaculians, and serve as display structures. The main proboscis has modified to form two lobes ending in teeth, mimicking beaked jaws. Given that most insulaculians use their ancestor's cartilaginous head plates for muscle support for the massive central proboscis, they can't extend their proboscis, with the grub-eating insulaculian being a notable exception. Duobarbaoideans already are on a similar route. Duonasus has cartilaginized most of its lower jaw, in favour of softer jaws, which in their more derived relatives, would dictate its disappearance. Duonasus still has developed jaws with teeth, where the central proboscis is housed to proccess and swallow food. The lateral proboscis, however, come out from two orifices from the front of the skull (just like insulaculians, and like crinitusavem, though the openings come out inside the mouth, in the latter). The Duonasus lateral proboscis have limited ingestion potential, capable of sensing scent particles and even consume some liquids, but they are very flexible and prehensile, being observed to grab some objects at an extent. Altumcubiculians would eventually loose their lower jaw and procceed to enlarge their central proboscis for the effect of a functional mouth. They didn't re-evolved jaws for that task, however, and instead turned their central proboscis into an extendable muscular ring to consume food over large controllable areas. Altumbarba is a proper example, having a huge compressible central mouth that it uses to filter feed. Below the mouth there are multiple hairs that grab small aquatic microorganisms, and their extendable lateral proboscis eventually grab these and drive them to the central proboscis to feed the creature. These huge lateral proboscis come out from orifices at the front of the head and can measure up to 3 meters long (twice as long as the creature itself). Cubiculum also displays a similar structure. Its central mouth ring ends, however, in four pointy lobes connected by membrane, that it uses to browse and chew on polyspeculates with medium height. Due to its body structure, it cannot bend to graze on the floor, but to aid in its limited head motion, the Cubiculum has extendable lateral proboscis that help bring the food to its mouth. These lateral proboscis can also consume water at an extent, which spares this creature's need to bend for a drink. One interesting feature that alcyoneuvermians have is the presence of external ears. Truth be told, external ears have only evolved insulaculioideans, but these have an interesting convergence to mammalian ears, though in most these are very simple (Duonasus and some insulaculians) or absent (altumcubiculians, most insulaculians). Crinitusavem have the most derived external ears, having huge ears that sense the presence of prey and/or predators around the area, as well as other members of their own kind. The eyes of the alcyoneuvermians are, comparatively to maiadorsans, less developed in some sense. It is believed the first alcyoneuvermians were actually burrowers and that explains why, basally, their eyes are fairly simple. However eye specializations occured in several branches. The coral worm, is an example of the opposite, being virtually blind, with reduced eyes, instead relying on their sensory hairs to sense vibrations and even floating particles to sense the surroundings and the presence of their prey. Diadematus eyes are positioned at the tip of simple retractable fleshy stalks that help this creature see its surroundings. Its eyes are already more focalized with simple pseudo-pupils, a characteristic a few more derived alcyonuevermians will also inherit. Dpison have among the most specialized eyes among alcyoneuvermians, a stark contrast. These eyes are more akin to those of amniotes and cephalopods from Earth, albeit with its limitations. The herbivorous lifestyle of the dpison requires it to develop peripheral vision, with eyes pointed towards the sides of the head, even though frontal view is possible through the gap that their "horns" create at the front. Crinitusavem also possesses focalized eyes, which is coherent with its semi-predatory nature. Insulaculians, on the other hand, have retained simpler compound eyes, a strategy to remain parsimonious to the detection of food, surroundings and predatory presence, which is pretty contrasting to the so called "primate analog" title that these creatures valiantly adopt. Similar to that, the Duonasus eyes are also somewhat simple compound eyes, that allow it to take a parsimonious approach to their surroundings, in many ways, making Duonasus pretty convergent to insulaculians. Altumbarba, being social, have specialized their eyes to be more focalized, in contrast to the Cubiculum, which retains eyes closer to the simpler compound eyes of the Duonasus and the insulaculians. Altumbarba actually has two pairs of eyes. These eyes have developed two focal points and have subsequently been "separated" by a strip of flesh that grows in between the "dead points" of the eyes, essentially protruding in two pairs of eyes, even though, in its essence, its just two compound eyes, each branching into two openings. Most insulaculioideans have forward facing eyes as a basal condition, a characteristic that must have stemmed from their common ancestor, an arboreal omnivorous hunter. Alcyoneuvermians, despite having developed advanced eyesight in some lineages, have limited detectable colour spectrum, not being able to see the same amount of colors as, for example, we humans. The respiratory system of alcyoneuvermians is characterized by the presence of a very efficient lung system. Like the majority of ambulospeculids, they all breath atmospherical air, even the coral worm, which is an aquatic creature that spends a lot of time underwater, hunting. They have very developed lung chambers, and the channels branch into spiracles, which present varying positions. Coral worms have a row of small spiracles just behind its short flippers, nearly obscured by the mane of hair at the front, and a few small spiracles positioned at the base of the tail, slightly pointed upwards. Like all alcyoneuvermians, coral worm spiracles have lids that open and close, which is useful to hold air and expel it whenever they can, which has allowed many other alcyoneuvermians to pursue aquatic locomotion at a certain extent, as evidenced by the Crinitusavem's expert swimming, and Altumbarba's littoral lifestyles, spending a lot of the times underwater. The alcyoneuvermians spiracles are usually divided into two different sections, one located at the front, and the other located to the rear. Despite many alcyoneuvermians having lost the rear spiracles, like insulaculians, Diadematus and the duobarbaoideans, they all retain the front spiracles. Diadematus has a vertical row of spiracles, protected behind the armored head, preventing blizzards from affecting the respiratory tracts. Dpisons are unique for breathing through the rear spiracles, located in dorsal rows, and having the frontal ones loosing the breathing function altogether. The frontal spiracles of the dpison, are located in the chest and release a musty scent in males, to mark their territory, or a nutritious milk-like fluid for females to feed their young. Crinitusavem has rows of orifices located vertically along the neck and another row down the tail. Insulaculians, their relatives, eventually lost the rear spiracles in favour of a single spiracle located behind the head. Duobarbaoideans have a row of spiracles running between their front and second limb pairs, from the chest to the dorso, a strategy that feeds their lungs in a more direct way, which granted some cold-dwelling and cursorial species with the abbility of sparing energy in the task of warming up the air they breath and oxygenate their muscles. Cubiculum is a clear example of a alcyoneuvermian with enhanced lung structure. Their large lung chambers are even exposed to reveal a pink skin surrounded by a ribcage. Cubiculum are even capable of holding their breath while performing long-distance running, a technique inherited by Altumbarba, though just to hold the breath when underwater. Alcyoneuvermians, basally, don't vocalize very well, with the exception of the insulaculioideans, which manage to create simple raucous sounds with their proboscis. Altumcibiculians are specially vocal, due to their advanced proboscis rings that compress the air and allow for more effective vocalization. Alcyoneuvermians, basally, have eight limbs, but many of them have eventually lost these, or repurposed them for other functions, other than walking. The coral worm has lost all of its limbs, except for one pair, presumably the first pair, which remained as small flippers. Diadematus has eight column-like naked limbs that support their massive size. The dpison also has eight limbs, walking with its first column-like limb pairs, plus the third and fourth, which partially "fused" and are smaller. All of these limbs end in hooves. The second pair is held up in the hair and is segmented like a rattle, to which the dpisons shake to create a rattle-like sound. They use these rattles to warn possible threats to their herd. Crinitusavem are bipedal, walking on their fourth pair of legs, which has two toes and another one with a sickle claw, to restrain prey. The first pair of limbs are long with three clawed fingers. The two middle pairs are armoed and hold around the ventral area to maintain rigidity in their body while moving bipedally. Insulaculians have eight limbs, in which they are all used for walking and climbing. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th pair of limbs ends in three fingers, while the first one ends in five. The second pair is the primary pair of limbs that is used to grab objects and food. Duobarbaoideans are "six-legged", but technically the 3rd and 4th pair of limbs is fused into one pairt of limbs, being connected by strong muscular tissue and skin. Duonasus is hexapedal, with the first pair holding on the ground with the knuckles, and being able of prehensility. The second pair holds a midway function between the prehensility of the first limb, and the columnar function of the last pair of limbs. Altumcubiculians are "quadrupedal", again, with the last pair of limbs being fused and the second pair holding the body on the ground. The first pair is held above the ground like arms, holding claws facing each other, presumably to grab pieces of vegetation while walking around in swampy areas or to approach the food to their mouths. Alcyoneuvermians most relevant unique characteristic is the hairy integument, a characteristics that they share with maiadorsans at an extent. These hairs likely evolved from keratinous strings coming from their external armor plates. These likely evolved a sensory purpose at the beginnings, but were later adapted to protect the creatures from the cold weather, which proved them as important survivors from the Tenerian-Accomodatian extinction event, and that's what makes these somewhat successful in polar regions. The coral worm has the basalmost usage of the hairs, having a mane around their head to sense vibrations in the water. Diadematus has hairy integument across its body to keep itself warm. Dpison are completely naked, which makes sense given they inhabit tropical environments. Crinitusavem has a mane of hair and crest going around at the front and behind their arms, behind their head, in the neck and in the dorso. These hair strings are longer in males than in females. These serve as display structures but also as crude tools to protect from the cold, in the case of cold-dwelling species. Insulaculians are covered in hair in almost all parts of their body, like the Virtuan Duonasus. Cubiculum are also nearly all covered in hairs. Altumbarba, however, is mostly naked, given its aquatic nature, with the exception of very long strings of hair it has below its head and neck, that trap microorgansims that it feeds on. External armor is present in some alcyoneuvermians, but they have largely lost it, in favour of internalizing them into their endoskeleton. Diadematus retains an heavily armored skull and the dpison has a myriad of armored plates along its back shoulder and head... a formidable protection against uncautious hunters. Not to mention, many alcyoneuvermians retain the lower head plate to work as a makeshift lower jaw, as mentioned before. The endoskeleton of alcyoneuvermians is bony and complex, consisting in the presence of vertebrae and developed rib cages. Simple pelvic and shoulder girdles are somewhat present, but those are not as advanced as in derived maiadorsans, for instance.

Alcyoneuvermians are variable in size, ranging from small 5 cm long creatures to huge 14 meter long lumbering giants. Insulaculians are the smallest, with the smallest species ranging from 5 cm long to a meter long. Crinitusavem also show themselves variable in size and in species, with the smallest ranging from 84 cm to three meters in length, and ranging from 70 cm to 2,5 meters in height. Altumbarba measures 1,5 meters in length and 75 cm to a meter in height. Duonasus ranges from 3,25 meters long to 2,74 meters tall. The dpison has a maximum length of 7,5 meters and a maximum height of 5 meters. The Diadematus reaches 10 to 14 meters in length and 5 to 7 meters in height, making these the largest terrestrial dispeculates of Terra Septentrionis. The coral worm measures 10,7 to 12,8 meters in length.

## Distribution and habitat

   Alcyoneuvermians, unlike the maiadorsans, who evolved in the western split of the ancient supercontinent, alcyoneuvermians evolved in the eastern part, and that was initially meant as evident, by their present abundance in Media Insula, though that seems to have been caused by a later recolonization of the continent. Compared to maiadorsans, however, alcyoneuvermians are actually very well adapted for the cold, and have in fact proliferated in the colder regions of the globe, like Terra Septentrionis and Tenebris, while maiadorsans remained in warmer regions. 212 million years ago, Ang has split from Cheru and started to move north to Terra Septentrionis, and in that landmass, the first diadematans evolved. Once it shocked against Domini, diadematans have spread to the Octen (Occidentis+Tenerian) complex, which was attached to Domini. Then 175 million years ago, Terra Septentrionis split from Octen, leaving two lineages separated, one in Terra Septentrionis, giving rise to Diadematus, and the other staying in Octen giving rise to the cubiculudpisonians. The cubiculudpisonians migrated to Cheru, which had a short lived land bridge with Occidentis, at the time of their inception, 170 million years ago. There the dpisonians evolved and insulaculioideans also evolved. 128 million years ago, two lineages of insulaculioideans evolved, one remained in Cheru (the crinitusavemians) and the other migrated to Occidentis and from there to Tenebris (the duobarbaoideans). Crinitusavem, later, spreaded from Media Insula to Terra Septentrionis and Auth, by swimming, and from Terra Septentrionis to Occidentis by swimming as well. The reason why exactly they spread across these huge portions of ocean to reach new land is a mystery, specially given that Crinitusavem are, reportedly, uncomfortable with water, despite being exceptionally great swimmers. Coral worms are the only marine alcyoneuvermians, and are found in the tropical seas surrounding Media Insula, in Vadum Mare and around the Gabre islands. Diadematus lives in cold tundras of northern Terra Septentrionis. Dpison lives in warm grasslands and river basins from Media Insula. Crinitusavem are found in a myriad of different habitats, from polar to tropical, from forest to desert. They are native to central and southern Media Insula, but have managed to swim to Micha, to central Auth, to northern and western Terra Septentrionis and to Occidentis. Insulaculians exist in forests and scrublands of central and southern Media Insula and the Gabre archipelago. Duonasus lives in the cold tundras of Virtu, while Cubiculum explores the prairies and taigas of the same continent. Altumbarba lives in coastlines, rivers and swamps of Auth.

## Diet

Alcyoneuvermians are largely herbivorous or omnivorous species. Very few species are truly carnivores, with the coral worm being a visible exception. This is a underwater ambush hunter, hiding in underwater crevices and tunnels. Once they find a suitable prey, they jump to the prey and coil around it, engulfing it with its flower-like mouth, and then dragging the prey into a safe location to eat. Diadematus is a giant omnivore, though mostly relying on a floral-based diet. They use their long shove-like snout to dig dirt and snow to feed on whatever small organisms they find, being slurped by their long pinkish proboscis as a result, though they can very well just graze in the cold plains. Dpison are herbivorous grazers and browsers, using their weird mouths to grind the vegetation, often extending their central proboscis to grab hard to reach vegetation into their mouths. Crinitusavem are omnivores, eating polyspeculate matter in occasion, but more frequently hunting for food, using its sharp beak and proboscis, as well as claws, to subdue easy prey. They try to avoid conflict so they won't go after dangerous prey. Insulaculians are generally omnivores, eating polyspeculate matter and small dispeculates. The grub-eating insulaculian is the most derived by a large margin, having developed an extremelly elongated finger in its second pair of limbs, simillar to the aye-aye on Earth, to which it uses to tap into the bark in search of "grubs". It then burrows a hole towards the location of the meal, with its front limbs, and extends its central proboscis towards the supper. Duonasus are omnivorous dispeculates, feeding on polyspeculate matter and some dispeculate matter too, but they are not properly predators in that regard, though their bite force is pretty strong, and a weak or slow dispeculate may fall meal to this creature. The Altumbarba is a filter feeder, having rows of filaments under the head, in series of folded skin, that trap several microorganisms in it. The lateral proboscis, which are extendable, can comb the material in it, that is then drawn to the main proboscis, a large central oral ring, that feeds on the material that was captured from their aquatic harvest. In occasion, Altumbarba complement their diet with slow-moving creatures and even large eggs. Cubiculum, with its simple mouth ring, munches on vegetation in simple strokes. They have poor mastication, so they feast on soft vegetation, and often a lot of it, sometimes complementing with easy to feast on dispeculate matter.

## Behaviour and sociality

Alcyoneuvermians, by being very diverse in terms of bauplan and lifestyle, they have notably different behaviours. Coral worms, being ferocious predators, will avoid contact when outside of the mating season. Females are the largest and the most aggressive, while males are smaller and more skittish in comparison. Diadematus live in herds, and can live up to 50 earth years. Each 5 years, the Diadematus gather in huge herds of up to 1000 members to migrate to the northwestern coast of Terra Septentrionis, which provides the perfect conditions for them to mate. The special orbital conditions of Wallace II create this window of climatic global warming in a 5 year cycle, that creates huge green plains in this region of the continent. The herd stays in the region for one month until they migrate away back to the more icy regions, where the massive herds will disperse into smaller groups to raise their young. They display sexual dimorphism, with males displaying more pronounced horns and armored structures, than females, which are also smaller than the males. The number of smaller horns at the top of Diadematus large protuberances are, surprisingly, almost the same in every individual of the *Diadematus glacies bestia* subspecies, and these are used for defense. When being attacked, their eye stalks retract back inside special orifices in the armor, which provides these creatures with a very accentuated level of protection. Similar in terms of social lifestyle, behaviour and sexual dimorphism, is the Media Insulan dpison. The dpison is also an herbivorous ambulospeculid that lives in herds, with males being larger and having more pronounced armored pieces. Dpisons use their frontal spiracles, placed between the first and second pair of limbs to produce fluids, depending on the sex, with females creating a milk-like subtance to feed their calves and males producing a stinky fluid, with awful taste, to rub it into females, so to avoid males from approaching females that are already "taken" by another male. Dpison armored horns are menacing and can be used to ram against threats and rivals, creating devastating blows in the receiving end. They also are incapable of vocalizing (just like the coral worm or the Diadematus), but they are able to rattle their second pair of legs like a rattlesnake's tail, for a similar effect, using it to warn possible intruders or to greet or warn other dpisons. They usually live in small family units of between 3 to 9 individuals, consisting of one male and its females and, if present, the offsprings. Occasionally, herds may gather into mega-herds, consisting of up to 360 individuals (around 40 large family units). Dpison males are particularly aggressive towards each other, constantly head butting for the control of females. Crinitusavem are weird hyperactive creatures in fact. They are deadly creatures when they feel threatened, even though they rather prefer to avoid conflict and flee if its not for hunting or defending their young. They are suprisingly migratory, not being sedentary creatures, which is fitting for its omnivorous diet and wide geographical distribution. Sometimes this highly migratory nature leads them to even abandon nests with their eggs, if the environment they reside is unfavourable. They live in herds of between 10 and 15 individuals, but they do not follow any kind of hierarchy, and they just gather together for the benefits it provides. Most of the larger species of Crinitusavem are diurnal, but most other species are nocturnal. Insulaculians live in habitats with trees, and use them for various benefits, to find shelter and food, above any other. Insulaculians tend to sleep in holes in and/or around trees, with ground-dwelling species sometimes making burrows on the ground. They use their lateral proboscis for display, having colorful ends, even though the detection of color in these dispeculates is poor, therefore relying more on their patterns. These proboscis also have some sort of sensory purpose too. Insulaculians live in groups of around a dozen individuals with no hierarchy, though they are often competitive in terms of resources, specially the ground-dwelling species. Duobarbaoideans share similar amounts of social lifestyles, with females living in large groups, of between 10-15 individuals, where they take care of the young, while males wander around in smaller groups of 3-6 individuals, often passing from female group to female group to mate. If conditions are favourable male groups may be allowed to stick around by the female groups to get extra rights for mating, and these males may enter into fights against intruding males or within the already resident male group, creating raucous screams and pops with their mouths to scare them away and using their front paws to inflict wounds on the rivals just in case. Duonasus often creates a symbiotic relationship with a sidobosian, the sun rider. Sun riders, when young, with hitchike a ride on the back of dispeculates, like the Duonasus, and grow in safety there. They release a sweet sap-like subtance that attracts creatures around it, and even the Duonasus uses it to complement its diet. Once the sun riders grow to a certain size, they deattach from the back of the Duonasus, and grow to independent adults.

## Reproduction

Alcyoneuvermians are basally oviparous, however a few have developed viviparity. Oviparous alcyoneuvermians lay their eggs on land. These are soft-shelled eggs, but their shells are bouncy and hard to break, with a strong protective flexible membrane to protect the developing young. The eggs, however, have a transparent exterior, which prevents them from being too exposed to the sun. Viviparous alcyoneuvermians have evolved, presumably, as a response to the cold environment. Diadematus, from Terra Septentrionis, and the duobarbaoideans, from Tenebris, are viviparous, as alcyoneuvermian eggs require proper care, and the cold conditions makes them vulnerable. The only oviparous alcyoneuvermian to inhabit snowy regions is the *Crinitusavem nix*, whose females protect the eggs from the cold, using its body heat. Most alcyoneuvermians are born precocial or semi-precocial, and are taken care of by the mother for a period after birth. Coral worms avoid gathering with each other outside of the mating season, essentially being the only alcyoneuvermian that does not live in social groups. Females are larger than males, and will only be receptive by their presence during the mating season, for which the males gather around, chasing the female, and sometimes forming a mating ball, similar to some Earth's snakes. Once the mating is achieved, the female will slither towards land and lay the eggs under the sandy beach, and sticking around the area until the nest bursts out with their young. The female will take care of the young before these grow large enough to live on their own... in some ways comparable to many Earth's crocodilians. Diadematus sexual display only occurs each time every five years, benefiting from a widespread migration to newly formed melted ice that reveals wide grazing prairies in the northwestern coast of the continent. The herd reaches the area and procceeds for a mating season that usually does not last much more than a month, where males display their head ornaments to the females and often engage with battles against other males. Once the mating is over, the herd migrates back to the ice plains, until five years are completed and they can return to the mating location again. The females will gestate their young for 12 months, where up to four precocial calves will be born. These will mature in 10 years, or in two mating season intervals. The dpison is a more territorial creature, with males defending their females as much as they can, not tolerating the presence of other males, which might be frequent in certain occasions, leading to violent headbutting. Male dpisons attract females through these fights, but also by rubbing themselves into the females, where the male's odor is tranferred to them. Because they live in tropical climates, dpisons have not evolved the pressure to become viviparous and therefore remained oviparous, with each female laying a clutch of eggs protected by dirt and vegetation, as long as there's enough shade to protect these. The females will take care of their relatively precocial young, that hatch out of their comparatively massive eggs, and will feed them with a milk-like substance coming out of their frontal spiracles. Crinitusavem are social creatures and their sexual display is comparatively mild, not involving much intraspecies combat. A male will attract one single female, by showing off their bulk and their more elongated manes, as well as extending their harpoon-like proboscis. Once accepted, they will form a mating bond that lasts for life. Females are the ones that lay the eggs (whose clutch number varies from 2 to 3 eggs) and protect them from the heat of the sun, or the cold of the night and the environment. They are very defensive of their young, however, they won't risk their lives too much for the survival of their brood, and may abandon the eggs or the young, if the conditions aren't favourable. When the young hatch they will be taken care by the parents until they have grown old enough to leave this group and be a part of a new one. Insulaculians use their lateral antenna-like colorful proboscis for display and to sense the surroundings. Even though, insulaculians lack the same array of color detection as we humans do, they use their colorful proboscis, with interesting patterns, to attract members of the opposite sex, and may use them too for social bonding. Similar to Crinitusavem, insulaculians mate for life, with the female laying a small clutch of eggs and taking care of them in a secluded spot, like a burrow or a hole in a tree. The young will hatch out and live with their parents for a while, before growing to a certain age where they can move on and lay their life in another group. In duobarbaoideans, the females are typically larger than males, in opposition to the other non-coral worm alcyoneuvermians. Female groups have an alpha female, which is responsible for leading the other females and youngsters to new feeding grounds, and they are also responsible for accepting the arrival of wandering mature males, who want to mate. Duobarbaoideans usually attract females by giving them food. Altumbarba males, for example, fill their "beards" with as much food they can and give them to the females. If too many males are found resident around a group of females, fighting will occur, often with raucous sounds being produced by their mouths and slashes produced by their frontal limbs. Duobarbaoideans are viviparous and they give birth to precocial young, which are therefore now fully prepared to follow their mother and the herd in the colder environments, in the case of cold-dwelling species, until they grow old enough to, potentially, find a new group they can live on.