Yptaera (Species)

Yptaera are an insectoid species in the Republic of Federated Planets that has acted as the backbone of industry for the Republic since their joining.

## General

The Yptaera are a hymenoptera like species that in their natural environment, without Muuth influence, form roving colonies that hunt down any lifeforms they come across in the jungles of Skxch (Vian), consuming them to fuel the colony. Yptaera are a large insectoid with large crushing mandibles, heavy armouring, and sub-sentient intelligence. Yptaera colonies protect their queens by forming a bivouac, a living hive made of Yptaera to protect the queen and eggs, in areas of high food, and carry their queens with the colony as they travel when food is exhausted in an area.

Yptaera colonies are governed by simple rules operating on individual levels, and via several roles. Yptaera are seperated into Workers, Warriors, Males, and Queens, each fulfilling a specific purpose for the colony. Yptaera colonies communicate via pheromones, utilising a variety of pheromones to signal colony state changes.

Yptaera colonies are a serious influence on the other lifeforms of Skxch (Vian), as their primary prey have been forced to develop a variety of adaptations to survive the Yptaera colonies swarming attacks. When a Yptaera colony is travelling in search of food the colony forms a large central cluster, with the queen safely ensconced within, and several scouting tendrils, each extending outwards in generally the same direction as the central cluster travels, until a tendril comes in contact with a viable food source.

When a Yptaera scouting tendril comes in contact with a prey colony a pheromone signal is transmitted down the tendril to the central cluster, and then out each other tendril, causing the other tendrils to return to the central cluster and form a bivouac, as well as sending most warriors to the contacted tendril. Warriors at the prey colony concentrate in a vast army that attempts to overwhelm whatever defenses the prey colony deploys, until such a time as the warriors can overwhelm the prey colony. When the warriors overwhelm the prey colony a second pheromone signal is transmitted down the tendril to the central cluster, causing the bivouac to break up, and begin migrating to the prey colony, where the workers can begin searching the colony for food sources.

When a Yptaera scouting tendril comes in contact with a corpse the tendril continues searching while workers within the tendril work cooperatively to send the corpse back down the tendril to the central cluster. Yptaera passing the corpse will eat some of it if hungry.

When a Yptaera scouting tendril comes in contact with a single prey the Yptaera nearby in the tendril surround the prey attacking it until it is killed, at which time they treat it as a corpse.

Yptaera were a dominant force in the jungles of Skxch (Vian)until their cultivation by the Muuth, after which their nomadism was ended in favour of colony building, especially around the exits of Muuth hives.

### Worker

Yptaera workers are the core of a colony, small, with little armouring, and small mandibles, workers form the core of colony tendrils, bivouacs, and central clusters, as well as performing a variety of critical tasks, such as feeding larva, moving eggs or the queen, and processing and transporting food to the tendrils.

### Warrior

Yptaera warriors are the defenders of a colony, being the largest, save queens, heaviest armoured, and with the largest mandibles. Warriors form the outer layers of colony tendrils, and will form a surface of mandibles and stingers if the central cluster, or bivouac is attacked. Warriors also act as the front line whenever a Yptaera colony attacks a prey, attempting to kill individual prey, or assault prey colonies, clearing the path for workers to gather the food afterwards.

### Male

Males are the smallest Yptaera, save larva, have wings, and are sent from queens to seek out new Yptaera colonies where they inseminate the Yptaera colonies queen, supplying her with a new source of genetic diversity. Males do not survive for long on their own, having only 2 weeks to find a new colony, and die shortly after breeding with a queen.

### Queen

Yptaera queens are the largest member of a colony, and singular, equipped with a massive breeding abdomen capable of producing millions of eggs in a year. If a colonies queen dies the colony will go extinct if they cannot find and join another colony.