Viofotavgessoma neomar

***Viofotavgessoma neomar*** (named after Latin roots "neo," meaning "new," and "mar," meaning "sea") is an extinct species under the family Arpaktikoaltidae and was a direct descendant of *Viofotavgessoma epizon*, the first species of the *Viofotavgessoma* genus. It was the first species in the genus to take to an open-ocean niche, and saw considerable success in this, as not only was light an attraction in this environment due to many other animals seeking daylight for sources of food, but these areas also often lacked light. For the first few million years, *V. neomar* and its descendants were especially successful, as *Viofotavgessoma* was the first post-extinction group to adapt bioluminescence. This species in particular led to a somewhat large group of bioluminescent open-ocean animals, the largest lineage living on in the form of species living in the midnight zone, taking on a niche comparable to that of an anglerfish on Earth. It evolved roughly 326 million years ago, about 2 million years after its direct ancestor, *V. epizon*.

## Anatomy

Anatomically, the only major difference from this species and others of its genus (specifically, *Viofotavgessoma epizon*, from which it evolved) is that it had an overall more hydrodynamic shape than later species, having a longer tail, more thin body, and its fins retracted when resting. It measures about 2 feet (0.6 meters) in length in adulthood and roughly one seventh that, or about 0.29 feet (0.1 meters), in its juvenile stage.

## Habitat

This species and its descendants spread all around several oceans, though at first, it primarily lived in and around Primus Oceanum, the ocean between North Primaterra and Secundoterra, as its former species lived around coastlines of North Primaterra. This species in particular led to a lasting lineage of ocean-dwelling animals that possesed bioluminescence, and while only those in the midnight zone remain in modern times, many others lived more in the open ocean.

## Diet

*Viofotavgessoma neomar* was somewhat of a generalist, as it relied upon whatever it could find on the ocean floor, though it was primarily a carnivore as its bioluminescence only attracted other animals. It did, however, resort to eating plants or other waste on the ocean floor in harder times, though it could not sustain itself like this for long.

## Evolution

This species evolved into a number of other species, first diverging into two primary species: *Viofotavgessoma bathalassus*, which took to more Eastern waters and the deeper sea, and *Viofotavgessoma vesperus* (named after Latin for west), which took to more Western waters and remained more in the open ocean. From here, *V. bathalassus* remained in a consistent lineage of niches, the overwhelming majority consisting of those that dwelled near the ocean floor at depths of up to 10,000 feet (3048 meters). *V. vesperus*, on the other hand, descended into species that took over a large number of niches, including re-adapting a coastal niche around Secundoterra and Quintusterram.

## Taxonomy

Domain: Exogiinosefkaryotis

Kingdom: Animalisaliena

Subkingdom: Enmetazoae

Phylum: Xenochordata

Subphylum: Psariaskoulikion

Megaclass: Epithymia

Superclass: Skoulikionpsaria

Class: Ostikiepithymia

Subclass: Efchimelovo

Order: Psithyrismenoprosopoiformes

Suborder: Programmataanichnefsiskatooidei

Clade: Idiotamcaptionemviventem

Subclade: Ourapterygio

Section: Mobileidiotamcaptionem

Clade: Arpaktikoaltisidae

Family: Arpaktikoaltidae

Tribe: Arpaktikoaltini

Genus: *Viofotavgessoma*

Species: ***Viofotavgessoma neomar***