Creature:Syphen

Syphen are forest-dwelling aliens belonging to the family Lignimulgidae. It is a diverse family, including over 15 documented species in 4 genera, from the tiny hovering Morbidomulgus muscaemimus at just under 8 inches, to the 6 ft long Lignimulgus cryptoproboscis (shown on this page's infobox). These creatures occupy a variety of niches, from necrophagous carrion-eaters to small-scale hunters. However, all are liquivores, and the majority of species — true to their familial name — are sap-suckers, feeding on the inner fluids of plants.

Morphology
Syphen are members of the order Brachynotomorpha, meaning "short back". This order also includes the eerily human-like Chiropods (Chiropodidae). Distinguishing features of the lignimulgids are the presence of distinctive multiple proboscides, strong tongue-like structures in the creature's head that extend out like feeding tubes suck up food; and the presence of a four-hinged jaw-like structure that serves either as a casing for these proboscides, a spike for "tapping", so to speak, into trees; or both. There is a structure within the head of members of the genus Lignimulgus, beneath the jaws called a "proboscitrix", being a fleshy second set of "jaws" that is thought to be a muscular appendage for quickly pushing and contracting the proboscides, and also aids in the suction of thick sap from trees. Members of the Synotubus genus have a set of fused proboscides that extends beyond the four-hinged jaw, creating a wicked pointed appendage for hunting. Some species have a patagium, a loose fold of skin between the forelimbs and the sides of the body that lets the creature glide across trees (although, some smaller species such as Morbidomulgus muscaemimus are capable of true flight by flapping a stronger, wing-like modification of the patagium).

Behavior
Feeding habits vary according to species, of course. The "lignimulgous" Syphens, being the archetype of this family, are known to land on tree trunks, preferring trees of soft wood and/or thin sap. Then they proceed to jab their jaws into the trunk — usually with great force — and inject a "net" or "matrix" of proboscides into the wood, piercing through tissue with muscular contractions of the proboscitrix and the proboscides themselves. While traveling through the wood, these proboscides quickly separate and split apart, branching off into dozens of tiny tubes that extract sap wherever possible. Four principal proboscides injected into a trunk, for example, each roughly an inch in diameter, eventually separate to well over fifty proboscides each the diameter of a pencil. After feeding (which may last up to twenty minutes at a time), the proboscides are quickly contracted back into the jaws. Some of these proboscides break off during this process, but they will regrow.

Necrophagous Syphens feed similarly, injecting an equivalent (albeit, smaller) matrix of proboscides into the flesh of carrion, but not before pumping a fair amount of digestive juices into the body to soften the flesh for consumption (similar to spiders on Earth). The smaller morbidomulgous species are capable of flight, and they tend to hang about larger carnivores like Primauls and Vinecrawlers in the hopes of consuming leftover carrion from their kills.

There are a small number of Syphens that take live prey. These have adapted their proboscides to become fused single weapons, up to a foot long and retractable. They use this spear-like proboscis to take down small prey and consequently, suck them dry. Contrary to the initial reactions of observers on Sequoia IV, these creatures do not suck their prey's blood, but — like the necrophagous Syphens — consume the liquefied, pre-digested flesh of their prey.

In-game description
''The Syphen is constantly flitting from tree to tree in pursuit of high-sugar sap to sustain its demanding metabolism. Upon landing, it inserts its snout into the trunk, then injects a 160 square-foot matrix of proboscides to drain the tree of sap.''

Tags: forest,herbivore,siphon,tree sap,triped

Taxonomy

 * Kingdom: Unnamed
 * Phylum: Arthroskeleta
 * Subphylum: Tripoda
 * Class: Omocoxae
 * Order: Brachynotomorpha
 * Family: Lignimulgidae (a.k.a. Flytdais, 2008)

List of genera and species

 * Metallus
 * M. amemorius
 * M. malleocephalus
 * M. picus
 * Morbidomulgus (carrion-eaters)
 * M. biproboscis (M. machabaeorus biproboscis)
 * M. machabaeorus (Gravesweeper)
 * M. muscaemimus
 * M. omen
 * M. rugos
 * Lignimulgus (sap-suckers)
 * L. actinopatagium
 * L. amiablirostris
 * L. aristus
 * L. cortitrogus
 * L. cryptoproboscis
 * ''L. macrognathus
 * Synotubus (carnivorous liquivores)
 * S. conjugatus
 * S. cultrus
 * S. nigricuspus