Neocerceps

**Neocerceps tardus**

Latest Mutations: Heart

Neocerceps tardus is an arthropod that feeds on worms and other soft-bodied animals in the temperate ocean of the Northern Hemisphere. It has evolved a dorsal vessel to pump blood around it's body.

Status: Unlisted

Habitat: Subpolar Temperate Ocean, Polar Temperate Ocean

Niche: Predator, Opportunistic Scavenger

Diet: Any fresh meat it can get.

Size: 11cm (length - head to end)

Nutritional Need: 198 x 11/100 = 21.8NP.

Food / Oxygen Requirement: 21.8 x 0.25 = 5.5NP per round (Needs to intake 5.5/0.6 = 9.2NP per round)/ 21.8NP.

Abilities: Anti-Freeze. Exothermic. Foul Taste. Small-Body Circulation. Liquid Excretion. Low Pressure Tolerance. Moults. Osmoconformer (Quite High Salinity). Solid Excretion. Subzero Metabolism.

Perception: Sight 2 (sees clearly up to 5m away at the front and sides, side monocular vision). Wide Vision 1 (wide field of view from sides that catches peripheral movement, monocular vision). Smell 1 (detects odours 1m from mouth). Chemoreception 1 (detects chemicals 1m from mouth). Touch 1.

Stats: Buoyancy 1 (Adjustable Buoyancy). Coordination 2. Desiccation Resistance 1. Dexterity 1. Digestion 1 (100% Plants, Digests 60%). Filtration 1. Immunity 2. Jumping 1. Pierce Strength 1. Reach 1. Respiration 1 (Ram Ventilation). Sharpness 1. Stamina 3. Strength 1. Support 2. Swim Agility 1. Swim Speed 1.5. Toughness 2. UV Resistance 2. Walk Speed 1.5.

Intelligence / Behaviour: 1. Hungry > Search for food. 2. Food > Attack with chela. 3.  Tired > Rest. 4. Pain > Swim Away. 5. Maturity > Reproduce.

External Features: An exoskeleton with nine segments covers the the skin, which contains blue carotenoid pigments. There are two antennae protruding forwards in front of the mouth and it has chemoreceptors, odour receptors and touch receptors on it. A sharp rostrum also protrudes forwards. It has two eyes (camera eyes with calcite lenses that change shape and that have no blind spot) either side of the head. Behind these on each side is a (typical apposition) compound eye. Two chelipeds with claws are held at the front of the body, followed by steering arms, and there are four pairs of legs. The rear of the body has an exoskeleton fantail and below that a hyponome.

Internal Features: Each cell in the body contains lysozyme a and a relatively small number of piezolytes. Spiracles lead into water-filled tubes. Glands near the skin secrete a foul fluid. Throughout the centre of the body is the hemacoel connected to the dorsal vessel, which have blood containing anti-freeze xylomannan fatty acid and polysaccharide and hemocyanin - meaning it is blue-green. A system of muscles stretches across the body. Near the lower wall can be found the gonads as well as the protonephridium and near the upper wall is the enclosed swim bladder. Through the mostly lower half runs the monogastric digestive system, from the mouth through the tubes to the stomach and intestines. Ganglia in the head connect to a dual nerve cord along the dorsal half, which has many nerves branching off it to encompass the whole body.

Reproduction: Sexual Reproduction. External Fertilisation. 1,000 eggs per spawning.

Castes/Phases: None.

Locomotion: Active (20NP). Paddles with legs and fan tail, boosts with hyponome.

External Features: Exoskeleton (10NP, +2 Toughness, +1 Desiccation Resistance, +2 Support, -1 Respiration, -1 Stamina, +Moults, -Cutaneous Respiration, -Permeable Skin, -Wriggling). Skin (3NP, +1 Immunity, +1 Respiration, +1 Stamina, +Stationary Respiration, +Cutaneous Respiration, +Permeable Skin). Medium Pigmentation (2NP, +2 UV Resistance). Mouth (0NP, +1 Filtration). Chemoreceptors (2NP, +1 Chemoreception). Odour Receptors (2NP, +1 Smell). Touch Receptors (2NP, +1 Touch). Camera Eyes (11NP, +2 Sight, +Monocular Vision, +Binocular Vision). Compound Eyes (11NP, +1 Wide Vision, +1 Sight, +Monocular Vision). Chela (5NP, +1 Dexterity, +1 Pierce Strength, +1 Reach). Legs (5NP, +1 Walk Speed, +1 Jumping, -0.5 Swim Speed, +Paddling, +Walking). Steering Arms (4NP, +1 Swim Agility). Rostrum (4NP, +1 Sharpness). Antenna (4NP). Fan Tail (4NP, +1 Swim Speed). Hyponome (7NP, +0.5 Swim Speed).

Internal Features: Piezolytes (5NP, +Low Pressure Tolerance). Lysozymes (1NP, +Subzero Metabolism). Spiracles (0NP, +1 Respiration, +1 Stamina, +Ram Ventilation). Foul Fluid Gland (7NP, +Foul Taste). Open Circulatory System w/ dorsal vessel (10NP, +Small-Body Circulation, +2 Stamina). Anti-Freeze Compound (2NP, +Anti-Freeze). Muscular System (7NP, +1 Strength, +0.5 Walk Speed, +0.5 Swim Speed, +Wriggling). Gonads (14NP, +Sexual Reproduction, +Hermaphroditism, +External Fertilization). Swim Bladder (7NP, +1 Buoyancy, +Adjustable Buoyancy). Nephridium (11NP, +Liquid Excretion). Monogastric Digestive System (19NP, +1 Meat Digestion, +1 Veg Digestion, +1 Immunity, +Solid Excretion). Centralised Nervous System (19NP, +2 Coordination).

Temporal Range: R.251 - Present (Atrobocean Stage of the Oliverian)

Distribution: Northern Hemisphere

Lifespan: 2 years

Predecessor: Cerceps cerceps

Classification:

Discoverer: StealthStyle