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Name: Soldierpods (Vlephytum spp.)
Creator: Cube67
Ancestor: Flopleaves
Habitat: Barlowe
Size: 3-5 cm (shell length), 5-8 cm (stem)
Support: Mixed support - Flexible exoskeleton / Cell wall (cellulose), Woody plates
Diet: Detritivore, Photosynthesis, Scavenger
Respiration: Passive (Stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (sequential hermaphrodite, male to female (unless retconned), seed-like eggs)

Soldierpods are a diverse genus of flopleaves endemic to Barlowe. While they are relatively closely related to the basal genus, they are still too distantly related to produce any offspring. While soldierpods are quite common in barlowe, they do not outcompete the ancestral flopleaves due to effective niche partitioning.

Soldierpods are mainly distinguished from their ancestors by the dense, wood-like armor on the top of their leaves and stem. This armor is made of essentially the same material as their seed-like eggs, and likewise offers them protection from potential predators and the elements. These armored leaves are somewhat concave on their inside, allowing the soldierpod to fold up into an enclosed ellipsoid shape, protecting their soft and fragile underside and stem. Soldierpod armor is highly variable between species, varying in shape and thickness. While this armor is scratch- and tumble-resistant, it is still somewhat flexible and cannot protect the soldierpod from being crushed by large objects. Due to their thick and opaque “armor”, soldierpods are also slightly worse at photosynthesis than their ancestors, though this isn’t an issue as they are slightly more active to make up for it.

Soldierpods usually locomote by pulling themselves along using their root-feet and highly flexible stem, though they are able to stand up by stiffening their stem using muscles and water pressure. Rarely, some species of soldierpods will even travel “backwards” by dragging themselves along on their stiff leaves, though they are quite clumsy at this. Soldierpods are also far less arboreal than their ancestors, having no gliding species and usually only climbing onto fallen logs and tall rocks in relatively open areas to reproduce. This is due in part to their weaker and more worm-like stem, but is mostly a result of the fact that they evolved in a time where all flora that could be considered a “tree” went extinct.

Soldierpods generally prefer temperate and colder subtropical environments to tropical ones, and have a variety of adaptations to deal with the winter. Soldierpods are able to hibernate when the weather gets too cold, lowering their metabolism to a metaphorical snail’s pace and entering a deep state of torpor. Soldierpods can stay in this state for weeks, and it can take hours for a soldierpod to wake up once conditions become more favorable.

Reproduction in soldierpods (remains the same/changes to sequential hermaphroditism, depending on if flopleaves are retconned). Soldierpod eggs are rounder than their ancestors’, making them able to roll around better. Soldierpods don’t remain in their larval state for as long as flopleaves, beginning to move around only a matter of hours after hatching. They are slightly more developed at birth than the ancestral flopleaves, making this less risky. Soldierpods take a few weeks to fully develop their woody “armor”.

POST-SUBMISSION NOTE: The last part of this desc. is slightly WIP, someone tell me what I should do regarding the reproduction because I forget if it was ever retconned

This post has been edited by Cube67: Feb 12 2023, 11:53 AM

Review

ART
Art Present?: Yes
Art Clear?: Yes
Gen Number?: Yes
All Limbs Shown?: Yes
Reasonably Comparable to Ancestor?: Yes
Realistic Additions?: Yes

NAME
Binomial Taxonomic Name?: Yes
Creator?: Yes

ANCESTOR
Listed?: Yes
What Changes?: Few things
External?: Development of wood-like armor.
Internal?:
Behavioral/Mental?: Can undergo hibernation.
Are Changes Realistic?: Yes
New Genus Needed?: Already applied

HABITAT
Type?: Genus (Barlowe)
Flavor?: Terrestrial
Connected?: N/A
Wildcard?: No

SIZE
Same as Ancestor?: No
Within Range?: Yes
Exception?: N/A

SUPPORT
Same as Ancestor?: Expanded
Does It Fit Habitat?: Yes
Reasonable Changes (if any)?: Yes
Other?: N/A

DIET
Same as Ancestor?: Expanded
Transition Rule?: N/A
Reasonable Changes (if any)?: Yes

RESPIRATION
Same as Ancestor?: Yes
Does It Fit Habitat?: Yes
Reasonable Changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: N/A

THERMOREGULATION
Same as Ancestor?: Yes
Does It Fit Habitat?: Yes
Reasonable Changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: N/A

REPRODUCTION
Same as Ancestor?: Yes? (Though Cube97's question would best be answered by Dorite, though as far as I'm aware there wasn't a retcon, though I might have missed it. Ancestor still shows sequential hermaphroditism and could revert back and forth, what's written here seems to imply only male to female, though nothing in the text implies a change in the reproductive cycle like that.
Does It Fit Habitat?: Yes
Reasonable Changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: N/A

DESCRIPTION
Length?: Embiggened
Capitalized Correctly?: Yes
Replace/Split from Ancestor?: Split
Other?: N/A

Opinion: An excellent genus to help fill out the tiny planimals of Barlowe. Another potential reason for them not outcompeting flopleaves in Barlowe is that since they must expend more energy to develop their armor, they likely breed slower/produce fewer eggs compared to their ancestors, though in turn they have a better chance at long-term surival due to their defenses.