It's unnerving to give a name to a generic Vermee just to have it devoured alive.
The image is certainly better, although the head is rather large. It's not impermissible, as some real-life animals do have similarly large heads. It just looks odd.
I'll have to see that tongue-trap image to evaluate it.

The original, final, PNG version of the file got corrupted, so I had to re-add some finishing touches. Evidently, I forgot to add the spiracles that time around. I have re-added them and made the sauce look better.

The submission is now complete. I have updated the art to show two toes, although the angle may make them hard to see, added another nostril, and made the snout look slightly less short by adding another wrinkle. I also updated the description and filled out the template.

Fermi Temperate Beach has so many organisms it may be worthwhile to split it on the ecosystem page into the sub-habitats of the backshore, foreshore, and dunes, or at least the imprecise "inland", "near-water" and "in-water" designations. For example, Saltjorns explicitly live in the splash zone (near-water), while Mangots live in the dunes of the beach (inland) and Carnosprawls live in the water itself. For large fauna, going between the "inland" and "near-water" sub-habitats would probably be easy, and even the in-water if it has some ability to swim, but the difference would surely be important for flora and small fauna (e.g., Coastal Nectarworms and Hockels, the latter of which blend in with Twinkiiros and Twinkorals and nothing else)

If it is a good idea, it should be fairly easy to give parenthetical statements to the flora or sort the flora into habitat sub-type sections.

"When the leaves of two purleblades [sic] touch, reproductive spores are passed between them."
Its descendants don't mention this is in the reproduction template or in their descriptions. Given how widespread Purpleblades descendants are, it's possible organisms have already been made which feed on their presumed nectar or pollen. Since there are so many descendants, it's possible some have indeed developed more Earth-typical reproductive methods, but there's no way of knowing.
What should be done about this?

https://sagan4alpha.miraheze.org/wiki/Mainland_Fuzzpalm
Though the description says, "Otherwise, they are functionally the same as their ancestor", the Mainland Fuzzpalm's reproduction method has apparently changed from its ancestor's. It doesn't mention making pollen, but "spores". This change is retained in Fuzzpiles and Bristlepiles. This is most likely a false synonym of "pollen" and would require nothing more than basically a typo correction, hence why this observation is not in the retcon thread.

If there's an interior pit from the flesh folding inward, the best word is "infolding" or "introversion". it might help to describe the tongue as a hydraulic organ using blood, or perhaps likening it to a flamingo tongue. Showing the tongue mid-way through contraction could also help. As it is, it looks like a cut-away of multiple layers of the tongue, with the bigger tongue being on a separate layer. In any case, I'm not even sure this could evolve in one step from its ancestor, because tongue physiology is unclear in its lineage. If it can't, re-writing it so its tongue is spiky and hydrostatic like a flamingo tongue seems fairly plausible.

QUOTE (Disgustedorite @ Nov 2 2021, 01:42 AM)

QUOTE (Coolsteph @ Nov 1 2021, 09:15 PM) I think I made this back when I confused the rear ends for the front end of Xenobees, as I did for the Xenobee. I justified that after the fact in a nearly-complete description I made today. They're mating claspers that can be mistaken for fangs. Its actual mouth is in its tail-like proboscis, of course. It's gonna bother me forever if I don't ask, so...when you thought the mouth was the cloaca and the cloaca was the mouth... ...what did you think the tongue that many wingworms are depicted with was?

Probably male reproductive organs. Like Greater Lahns', although those arrived much later. I was probably shocked by that, but they're alien bugs, so perhaps it would have been considered more acceptable. You'll notice that neither the Xenobee nor Woolly Xenobee descriptions, or even the Bumbleworm description, say "It has a very long tongue", but the former two do give attention to their reproductive systems.

So, anyway...does anyone know how the Xenobees got to Fermi as a global genus group, or do I need to write the Spooky Xenobee description assuming it's the first of its kind to get there? Any feedback on the bat Dundis or getting that Sealkey descendant to a plausible habitat?

You missed some of the things I pointed out, like the capitalization of Drake Polar Scrub and not elaborating on "cave-in". It's unclear what you mean by that term.
It looks better, although the feet are still blurry and the texturing of the woolly body has a conspicuous gap: it doesn't reach the outline.
Two methods to fix that (assuming you're using GIMP, which you might not be using) are using the smudge tool to stretch it out, or make a custom brush of the texturing, contain it within the lineart or base color, and then paste it in. The feet are also still blurry around the outline. One method to fix that is manually painting a white color over the blurry spots, being careful not to go over the lines.

QUOTE (Disgustedorite @ Nov 1 2021, 08:28 PM)

Those look a bit deepfried. I hope they aren't meant to be the final art.

Not quite...I saved them as PNGs. Small artworks made with colored pencils just doesn't look good when scanned at high resolution. The Glassbelly and Villati were similarly affected, just not as severely. Later, I could spruce them up or just adjust the total size so the pencil roughness and pixelation aren't so obvious.

The thickness of the lines for the body outline varies substantially. Line thicknesses visibly varying isn't a problem, but it is distracting that the back's outline seems at least four times thicker than the head's outline.

"Drake Polar Scrubs" should be "Drake Polar Scrub".
The second part of the scientific name should be in lowercase.
"it's cuticle": Its cuticle.
"cave-in" Cave-in?
"androgynous" that doesn't make sense. Did you mean to say that male and female skull-crests have converged in size and appearance?
"As the coats": has a capitalization error.
"Nobody": I recommend "no one", as "nobody" is to informal.

Judging by Squickerlings and Nectarlings, the reproductive organs of plents are close to their digestive tracts. It's not out of the question the tongues and reproductive organs could merge somehow. However...Squickerlings and Nectarlings existed many, many years ago, and those two are in a different class (not Barbellaphyta) from Blowtongues's ancestors. If there's information on the reproductive organ arrangement of Barbellaphyta, it must be well-hidden or nonexistent.

QUOTE (Disgustedorite @ Nov 1 2021, 08:20 PM)

Well, there are probably flora on the beach that need pollinators. Shrogs spread basically everything that had a fruit.

Yes, but I was asking how Xenobees managed to make the journey across the ocean to get there, and especially prior to Seashrogs showing up. I don't believe they could have fed on floating flowers or flowers on driftwood. I don't think they existed at the time. Since this is a bloodsucking mucivore that could feed on Shrogs or Shrog-spread fauna for the journey, I can make this the first of the Xenobees on Fermi if Xenobees did not already get there. If they did get there beforehand, I can write the description accordingly, but the Xenobees details on the ecosystem would have to be changed. If neither of those options can work, I can perhaps modify it so their larvae live in Gourjorns and either got spread from mainland Gourjorn stem-buds floating across the sea or spread in Seashrog stores.

QUOTE (Cube67 @ Nov 1 2021, 05:41 PM)

Also, one question: by what mechanism does The Hideous "cackle"? What does it sound like?

I imagined it as sounding like obnoxious laughter, perhaps a little like SpongeBob SquarePants' laugh. Beans' idea seems to make sense.




The first is an Earwax Caonach, a durable lichen-like Wright Caonach descendant or grand-descendant that lives on rocks in harsh habitats.
The second is a Starfruit Caonach, which I plan to put in semiarid and/or savanna habitats. It tastes like starfruit and is high in oxalates. It's closely related to the Gelatinous Caonach.

I think I made this back when I confused the rear ends for the front end of Xenobees, as I did for the Xenobee.
I justified that after the fact in a nearly-complete description I made today. They're mating claspers that can be mistaken for fangs. Its actual mouth is in its tail-like proboscis, of course.
In any case....any further feedback on how to deal with Xenobees being in Fermi?

This was from a Fermi organism paper from roughly July 9, 2015. I'm actually not sure if it was originally designed for Fermi at all, but it was on the same page as several Fermi ideas, so I'll put it there.

Since I intend for it to be a descendant of the Xenobees genus group, I have to wonder: how did Xenobees even get to Fermi? They feed on nectar and mucus, and there's no adaptations for going weeks without food. Were they blown there by strong winds? Did some mucus-eaters with incredible stamina get lucky to feed on mucus from various fauna at the surface of the water? Did mucivores hitchhike on Tamjack and Marine Tamow nests and feed on their mucus? If there's not some plausible explanation, they'd have to be eliminated from the Global section.

If it helps, Spooky Xenobees are intended to have a taste for blood, convergently to its relative, Bloodbees/be descended from Bloodbees engulfed into the Xenobees genus group.

I sure hope Handlicker Dundis and Dundiggers don't become extinct before I get around to that. Fermi stuff will come first. (Other than those works-in-progress and that contest entry attempt.)

It is both a weird alien and recognizable for its vulture-like role.
Since it's bad at climbing or perching, it would make it easy for a future fauna to haul a carcass up a tree like a leopard to save it for later. That's an interesting possibility.

QUOTE (Disgustedorite @ Oct 31 2021, 10:50 PM)

It could be repurposed for next gen if you can make a transitional form.

That did occur to me. Unfortunately, that means this is impossible to salvage for the contest, even if it weren't already too late. Making this subtropical, putting it in the lower part of East Darwin Tropical Rainforest, and making an intermediate at uses Elerd Temperate Coast as a manatee-like organism seems the most efficient...but it has to go through a small part of Vivus Boreal and Vivus Temperate Rainforest first. Even this design doesn't make a lot of sense for its intended environment. Sealkeys are quite happy being lazy hot springs manatees, and the surrounding area seems to have a lot of competition for various herbivore niches. If it gets very hot in the summer in Vivus Temperate Rainforest in blackflora-tree-filled areas, it just might justify something a little like this, making development easier.

Unless the contest is extended, it won't be possible for me to make something else.

Is there some evolutionary justification for such an exceptional lifespan? Something like 83 would be notable enough.
I'll look over the rest later.

Well. I'm in quite the problem.
I made good art for a Sealkey descendant for the artist profile contest. However, it's very wrinkly, because I was emphasizing the bare, wrinkled look of Wayne Barlowe designs. However, all the habitats accessible for a direct descendant of Sealkeys are sub-polar. Something with wrinkled elephantine skin over all its body would not be able to survive there, not even in summer. I don't know what to do with this.

It's great to see you again, Hydromancerx. It's an appropriately alien-looking organism.

"200 cm long". "2 meters/2 m long" is customary at this size.
"ti it" To it.
"th least" The least.
"waters propelling" needs a comma after "water".
"once trapped" is grammatically unclear.
"ease. Even" has a minor spacing error.

It's nice to see Bloodbees getting attention, if indirectly. It is a bit odd that it would immediately become a full-time troposphere resident, although I suppose their insect-like life history would make the pace of evolution faster.

I figure this would become an important part of the sky ecosystem, especially because it can use both Soaring and Hairy Sky Phlyers.

That has been corrected. I have corrected the related paragraph to:

"Some females in this species range have learned to take advantage of the bloodbees' love of birthing fluids left on plent young, delaying licking it off so they can attract snacks, either for themselves after their exhausting process or for their newborn young. Others trail very pregnant individuals of other species so they can feast on bloodbees attracted by the birthing fluids made later."

I suppose it counts as a misinterpretation.
Would it be acceptable to modify it to say "any fluids left on them from the birthing process"?

Ecosystems so often forget the role of parasites. If hairy sky phlyers had parasites that themselves could fly, float, or hitch a ride, and other things ate those parasites, it would increase the amount of nutrients they could give back to the ecosystem. Indeed, if these parasites got attached to its trichomes, shedding trichomes more frequently to get rid of parasites would also work. Blood tropoflies are the most convenient ancestor of faunal parasites, though surely not the only one. Skin flora (e.g., perhaps sloth-fur-algae-esque nimbuses, or pathogenic or commensal microbes), could also increase the nutritional value of the trichomes.

Creating the equivalent of ballooning spiders or especially high-flying spores or seeds (which should be easy for various boreal or alpine flora or those in especially windy places) would also increase the amount of food in that ecosystem.

"absent of any" Absence of any.
It's an interesting connection between the ecosystems of the sea and sky. Otherwise, there's not much to say that can't be said about its relatives.