#schkepi

[daerwen]

Qrinn, a small fish from Schkepi, indigenous to the shallow coral reefs with colourful appearances and strange anatomy. They can be found both in groups as well as solitary around coral and aquatic foliage.

Although not commonly seen as food, they are caught in some regions and fried up as a light snack for Avialyxes. More commonly however, these are popular among fishoid keepers who appreciate the natural colour variation that the Qrinn showcase. These are very simple lifeforms, but they serve as cleaning filter-feeders, taking part in helping the reefs stay clear and clean, allowing the star's light to clearly reach all of the coral and plants; even on deeper depths. Showcasing: Qrinn Ciralith

[daerwen]

Ciraliths are the most common fishoids on Schkepi, easily recognizable for their large head protrusion, holding their respiratory and propulsion system. You can find them anywhere from grazers to predators. Ciraliths are a grouping of fishoids in the same class Cethalothura [Head tube-breathers].

Although it looks like they have segmented bodies, it's not true segments. the skin is made out of large, fused plates, with a bit of elasticity to them. The head in particular is a rubbery cap, housing most of the organs and functioning as an entry way for the respiratory system. They draw in water through thousands of moving cilia coated on the inside of their breathing tube. Small holes on one side of the tube also pull in oxygen from the water and through their lung, letting them breathe.

Most Ciraliths are schooling fishoids, living in large groups of open water, but some species keep to smaller groups or even solitary lifestyles.

Showcasing: Ciralith Erelis "Shrimp" Relative of Ciraliths

[daerwen]

In some regions of Schkepi, you can find bamboo-like forests, dominated by a fast spreading flora. Due to the regions having a mix of mostly clay and gravel soil, the plant specialized and outcompete most other plants.

The main fauna of these regions are insectoids, smaller, low living critters, branch-swinging tetrahexapodia and a distant relative of the oceanic region's Ya'queetits; The Ya'quitret. A relative, more evolved to not require the ocean to breathe and reproduce. It hunts both by catching insectoids midflight as well as making use of their pointed lower jaw. By listening to the trees, they can find critters hiding inside and use their lower jaw to crack open the surface and pull out the prey.

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The Avialyxes in these regions form a lifestyle with the ecosystem, and they're famously known for their region's dance. The dancers form a bond with a companion Ya'quitret, in a practice called Ya'quiteering. Dedicating themselves to a semi-hermit lifestyle, they spend a significant amount of their life in the wild with their companion, often raised from young age. Doing everything from hunting, resting, preening and traversing the land.

To dance, the Avialyx makes use of a lure, crafted to mimic their companion's prey. They use it to guide the flier around them, showing off the colours, patterns and agility. The art is to join their flier in the pattern, moving their body in tandem with their companion, dancing together.

The trees of these regions reproduce mainly through cloning. It has two types of growth, the foliage stems and the cloning stem. The foliage stems grow upwards, shooting out leaves from the circular nodes as it grows. Meanwhile the cloning stem starts growing bent in the direction of a vacant space. It keeps growing until the top of the stem makes contact with the soil, where it will proceed to push down and start developing a new root bulb. These plants tend to thin out around the region's outskirts, but deeper in the regions, the trees tend to stack, reach over each other; Growing thick stems large enough to walk across. These forests tend to be dark and tangled, as the trees compete with each other for the light, the lower branches being used by their clones to grow taller, supplying them with water and nutrients.

[daerwen]

Some more insectoids and a small insectoid eating creature without names.

I'm having a harder time drawing at the moment, as a combination of moving around, my pc being stationed away from home and ect, I'll just be dropping a few simple concepts now and then :)

[daerwen]

The sketch for a planned scene of a more plains-like environment on Schkepi, with a varied mix of smaller animals and a larger predator, a lesser Magnanex making their way over the open space.

I'm making this scene to showcase both fauna and flora on the planet, from insectoids to flying animals and both big and small Tetrahexapods.

In the scene you can easily spot fauna with names next to them, but there's also some smaller ones like insectoids on the foreground rock, Umedoria "frogs" by the stream and a mix of plants that I've been focusing on for a while.

[daerwen]

Drids; A very small, almost insect-like, species in the Tetrahexapoida class. These small animals live near caverns where certain species of hanging flora can be found, rich in a type of nectar that the Drids consume. They use their elongated, hollow mouth parts like straws in the flowering protrusions of the plants, specialized to reach the nectar while staying in flight.

Different species of Drids come in various small sizes and colours, a beloved species by the Avialyxes on Schkepi, but rarely seen due to their small size and cavernous lifestyle. When they're not in flight, they'll usually be hanging off a cave wall or on small foliage using their two hind grippers.

[daerwen]

These will be nicknamed "Leaf wings" until I go through proper naming schemes with them. They're a medium-sized fishoid from the Schkepian oceans.

I haven't written much for them yet, but the idea is that these creatures have specific species of algae that they grow through vein-like structures in their larger fins, as well as other parts of their body. This algae will photosynthesize and feed the host, admittedly for not much in return, but the fishoid does serve as a structure for the plant.

There's also a smaller species related to these that I'll be drawing sometime, found in coral reefs.

[daerwen]

A coral and fish nursery on Schkepi, prepping and growing organisms for space travel, as these will be shipped out to terraforming colonies throughout the colonized space.

Nyn'thian is on her way with a clipboard to explain a new mini ecosystem she's been planning, with Haixiao waiting by one of the nursery's smaller tanks. Hanging above the tank are instructions on Dhoulak care and life cycles, some species of algae, and a collaboration of kids' drawings sent in from local schools.

Showcasing:

Two female Avialyx

Common Dhoulak (Fish)

A species of Ciralith (Smaller fish)

Various "algae" species

Various "coral" species