Ankistriacheria

***Ankistriacheria*** (meaning Hooks hands in Greek) are a genus of the Family Arpaktikoaltidae, they evolved around 340,313,401 years ago, and although their point of origin is North Primaterra, now they are mostly found in North Primaterra and Secundoterra, some parts of Terratertius, and some parts of South Primaterra. They are mostly found in mangrove forest, brackish rivers and wetlands, but a small few of them can be found in the ocean. They mostly live in their burrow, they usually only stick out their forehead headshield and their whisacles out to lure in prey. This can vary from species to species, but in most species a Full grown female is usually about 40-50 cm.(1 foot 3.748 inches-1 feet 7.685 inches) Long, but males usually reach length about 60 cm.(1 feet 11.622 inches) Long. Which is unusual for most predatory jumpers usually the females are bigger, possibly the reason why the males are bigger here will be explained in the breeding section later. This can also vary from species to species, but in most species the average lifespan for both male and female is about 20 Earth years. The first species discovered by man when they arrived on Hume III was *Ankistriacheria ankistriacheria*. Even though it's under the family Arpaktikoaltidae, which is under the Suborder: Programmataanichnefsiskatoidei, they have actually re-evolved the ability to swim, the exact reason for re-evolving this ability is unknown.

## Evolution

They evolved around 340mya, they evolved from a bottom-dweller wish called *Pterygiodaktylou*, which specific species of them they evolved from is unknown, there is only one known transitional fossil called *Pterygiodaktylou* *liomenadachtyla*, in that species all five fingers are fused but the hand still has five claws instead of one big claw, this fossil was found in North Primaterra, as well as the earliest known true *Ankistriacheria* were also found in North Primaterra, *Ankistriacheria* *ankistriacher*, so here's what probably happened, a species of *Pterygiodaktylou* got carried into the ocean by a South Primaterren river, and then swam its way up to North Primaterra, after that they began to evolve into *Ankistriacheria*. They developed their first set of pectoral fins into an arm-like organ to help them dig and crawl on the riverbed. And they also have harden carapace on their forehead which they use as shield and weapon. It would also shortened down it's whisacles to reduce drag, but this also reduced its sense of smell and because it had poor eyesight and the fast-moving murky water that it lives in doesn't allow it to evolve better eyesight it instead resorted to evolving better hearing, but once some species actually get out of the fast-moving Rapids and into regular water and even the ocean they did eventually evolve decent eyesight. This Genus would go on to give rise to many more taxa, new species of course, but also knew Genera, Families, Orders, a few monospecific classes, but the most notable class that's not monospecific and is still alive today is the Class: Uncusia and the only Order under it, Order: Uncusiformes. But the biggest and most notable thing that this genus gave rise to is shockingly an entire phylum known as Nadachordata, named as such because it got rid of the notochord, which is one of the two things that are required to be a Chordata and a Xenochordata, making it a new phylum.

### Update

Another transitional fossil has been discovered, and it is of a monospecific genus called *Protoankistriacheria*, and the only species is *Protoankistriacheria protoankistriacheria*, this Genus is only one of three Genera of the Family Arpaktikoaltidae to be extinct today that we know of. The thing that separates it as a separate genus from Ankistriacheria is that Protoankistriacheria have scales, while Ankistriacheria have amphibian-like skin.

## Anatomy

They are small to medium size wish. Ranging about 40 to 60 cm long with males usually slightly larger than females. Their most notable features is their headshield and hooked arm which they use to burrow. They have heavily reduced fins, in some of the later species in this genus have completely lost their fins, as well as some genera that would evolve from this genus would also have no fins. They have lost their scales, instead, Their skin is cover in mucus that they can use to breathe air like an Amphibian. Their gills are still prominent. they have surprisingly strong body muscle that they can use to slip through mud with  no problems.

And their whisacles is reduced so much that in some species the whisacles are completely gone.

### Head

Their is where their brain is kept and their brain controls the whole body. The head of this genus has a headshield for protection and to help it dig, the headshield is comprised of bone, stiffened muscle tendons, thick rough hard skin, and plate like scales. The head is also where the eyes, mouth, ears, and whisacles are kept. Their eyes are on stalks like a snail, but unlike other genera in this family this Genus's are slightly reduced, shorter than the rest. This is to help reduce drag in the fast-moving Rapids that it started out in. How good it's eyesight was dependent on the species and the environment they lived in, the ones that live in murky water or fast-moving Rapids typically have poor eyesight while the ones that live in Clearwater typically have decent eyesight or okay eyesight, the ones that live in caves typically are either blind, but still have their eyes, or have completely lost the eyes. Because of their headshield their mouth is a bit different than other Arpaktikoaltidae genera, their mouth are a bit longer and kind of pointed kind of like a bird beak, but they still have sharp teeth which just like in alligators when the mouth is closed you could see the top row of teeth sticking out. They have a tongue to help swallow food, but their sense of taste is not very good, they don't have the five taste receptors that we have, they just have very primitive taste overall. Since they can't rely on smell or sight too much, instead they rely on hearing so they have the biggest ear stones of any wish, this helps them hear better, so they can know when prey is near, and then they jump it. Their whisacles have been reduced in order to cause less drag in the fast-moving Rapids, because of this their sense of smell is greatly reduced. The whisacles still act like additional brains, and are still prehensile in most species. But some species have lost them entirely, some species have lost the prehensile ability, but some of the ones that don't live in fast-moving Rapids have actually re-evolve long whisacles, but at the cost of losing or reducing something else. They have one gill slit instead of two like most other wish, and this slit resembles more of a circular hole rather than a slit, it has one on each side of the neck, these help them breathe.

### Body

#### External

Their body is long like an eel. Their body is not covered from head to tail and scales, the only part of the body that has scales is the headshield, the rest of the body is covered in smooth mucus covered skin that feels like an amphibian. They evolved from *Pterygiodaktylou*, and *Pterygiodaktylou* had only one vestigial dorsal fin, in this genus that fin is no longer vestigial it is functional again not only that, but has also stretched down the whole back all the way to the end of the tail, even going to the underside of the tail kind of like Eels on Earth. The front pair of pectoral fins have one Hook shaped claw on the end of them. The second pair of pectoral fins and the pelvic fins are completely gone in this genus. Their tail has lost the prehensile ability. It is mostly used to help them swim and to maintain balance.

#### Internal

Their internal organs are not much different than every other genera of Arpaktikoaltidae, but one notable difference is because they are longer the organ Arrangement is more of that of an eel rather than a catfish. They have also lost one of the two hearts. They have a cloaca and they mate by touching cloacas together.

## Habitat

They are mostly found in mangrove forest, brackish rivers and wetlands. But a few species can be found in the ocean. They mostly live in their burrow, stick out only its forehead and whisacles out.

They are mostly found in Secundoterra and North Primaterra. Mostly in tropical area.

Their point of origin is North Primaterra, but because they can go in saltwater they migrated down to South Primaterra and even Secundoterra, eventually they completely died out in South Primaterra due to being out competed by the other genera of Arpaktikoaltidae. After all the continents collided there was a short period of a few thousand years where they were found across the whole supercontinent, but due to being out competed in many areas their range has shrunk yet again. Nowadays they can mostly be found on what used to be Secundoterra, North Primaterra, Terratertius, and some small areas in what used to be South Primaterra.

## Diet

Most of them are carnivorous especially in larger species, mainly prey on smaller to same sized wishes. But some smaller ones are omnivorous. There has never been a completely herbivorous species in this genus.

## Breeding

Males are very territorial. They will chase off other males that come into their territory. But will keep females in. When in breeding season at the middle of spring. The male will go to female's burrow and breed. Then the female will take care the eggs until they hatch, and then leave the babies to fend for themselves. If another male tries to get to the female first he will then fight with the other male, whoever wins gets the female. So that is why the males are bigger in this genus, to help them fight each other for a female, oftentimes the winner will die from his injuries shortly after breeding, and then the female will eat his body. They mate by touching cloacas together.

## Adaptations

The ones that survived T.E.O.T. Mass Extinction have ability to breathe air. Their reduced whisacle are replaced by their forehead carapace which can sense vibration.

+the predatory jumper can hibernate like lungfish too.

So basically they're hook hands and their headshield are the most notable adaptation of this genus, the rest of the adaptations can vary from species to species. The four species that survive The End Of Times Mass Extinction Event all had the ability to go into stasis just like a naked mole rat or the water bear.

## Threats

They are most likely preyed on by larger wish and land base predator when there is a drought, they are very vulnerable to skin decease. When humans arrive they are a very easy wish to catch since they will at their burrow almost all the time. Today this entire genus is listed as vulnerable.

## Taxonomy

Domain: Exogiinosefkaryotis

Kingdom: Animalisaliena

Subkingdom: Enmetazoae

Phylum: Xenochordata

Subphylum: Psariaskoulikion

Megaclass: Epithymia

Superclass: Skoulikionpsaria

Class: Ostikiepithymia

Subclass: Efchimelovo

Order: Psithyrismenoprosopoiformes

Suborder: Programmataanichnefsiskatoidei

Clade: Idiotamcaptionemviventem

Subclade: Ourapterygio

Section: Mobileidiotamcaptionem

Family: Arpaktikoaltidae

Tribe: Arpaktikoaltini

Clade: Arpachtisvrachon

Genus: ***Ankistriacheria***

\*\*Extant species under *Ankistriacheria*\*\*

Species: *Ankistriacheria ankistriacheria*

Add your own species here.

\*\*Extinct species under *Ankistriacheria*\*\*

Species: *Ankistriacheria ankistriacher*

Species: *Ankistriacheria eisag*

Species: *Ankistriacheria epizon*

Species: *Ankistriacheria richardi*

Species: *Ankistriacheria micro*

Add your own extinct species here.