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Name: Lacyskin Orbleaf
Creator: Cube67
Ancestor: Orbleaf
Habitat: Talon-Orpington Undersea Meadow, Talon Reef, Southwest Orpington Reef, Anning Reef, East Orpington Subtropical Undersea Meadow, East Dixon Subtropical Undersea Meadow, Dixon-Fermi Subtropical Sea, West Darwin Subtropical Undersea Forest, Darwin Subtropical Undersea Meadow, Mid Darwin Subtropical Undersea Forest, West Darwin Tropical Undersea Meadow, West Darwin Tropical Coast, Darwin-Flisch Reef, North Darwin Tropical Undersea Meadow, Darwin-Rhino Reef, East Darwin Subtropical Coast, Hydro-Krakow Tropical Coast, West Hydro Subtropical Undersea Forest, West Hydro Subtropical Coast, Hydro-Flisch Reef, East Hydro Subtropical Undersea Meadow, West Glicker Subtropical Coast, West Glicker Tropical Coast, Squidy Reef, North Squidy Tropical Undersea Meadow, South Squidy Tropical Undersea Meadow, East Glicker Subtropical Undersea Forest, East Glicker Subtropical Undersea Meadow, Snow-Leopard Subtropical Undersea Forest, West Barlowe Subtropical Undersea Forest, East Barlowe Subtropical Coast, West Ovi Subtropical Undersea Forest, West Ovi Tropical Coast, West Dixon Subtropical Undersea Forest, Nergali-Beans Tropical Undersea Forest; Juveniles only: Vailnoff-Flisch-Rhino Tropical Ocean, North Vailnoff Subtropical Ocean, South Vailnoff Subtropical Ocean, Flisch Subtropical Ocean, Rhino Subtropical Ocean, LadyM Tropical Ocean, North LadyM Subtropical Ocean, South LadyM Subtropical Ocean
Size: 6.4 cm tall
Support: Subcutaneous skeleton (cartilage), gelatinous mesoglea
Diet: Planktivore (<100 micrometers), photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive diffusion
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (spores), asexual (fragmentation as a juvenile)

Orbleaves, being fairly small, had little problem with detaching from their substrate. However, when many of the larger aquatic flora died due to a mass extinction event, bigger orbleaves became more competitive. However, they ran into the problem of having fairly flimsy bodies which could be easily detached from their substrate, with predation by desperate herbivores only compounding the problem. The lacyskin orbleaf has evolved a key feature that amends both of these issues to some degree.

The lacyskin orbleaf is named for its newly-evolved support structure, which is somewhat reminiscent of lace. This “skeleton” of sorts is derived from the thin layer of tissue on its outside, and lies just between it and the jelly-like substance that fills its interior. Much like the jelly itself, this skeleton is made from extracellular matrix proteins, with the difference here being that the skeleton is much sturdier, being comparable to hyaline cartilage. This makes lacyskin orbleaves difficult to eat for predators too small to eat them whole (or too large to simply graze cells from its surface). The skeleton also extends into its holdfast baits, making it more difficult to detach from the substrate. In the larvae, the skeleton is only present as a small plate of connective tissue in the middle of its lower surface, but as the larva grows and becomes sessile the skeleton extends into more of the body, completing its growth when the lacyskin orbleaf reaches its full size.

Having evolved just after the supercontinent of Hybarder split into several smaller landmasses, the lacyskin orbleaf was able to spread through the straits between those continents, attaining a cosmopolitan distribution and reaching the western coasts of Wright. However, as it is unable to cross through the continent of Wright to reach the other side, the populations on either side of the continent were isolated enough to become genetically distinct. This makes the lacyskin orbleaf a ring species, or a species in which only some of its members are capable of breeding with each other.

Species' adult range in red. Larvae float in all adjacent tropical and subtropical oceans.

Skeletal anatomy.

This post has been edited by Cube67: Feb 16 2023, 05:57 PM

Lacyskin Orbleaf
Approval Checklist:
Art:
Art Present?: y
Art clear?: y
Gen number?: y
All limbs shown? y:
Reasonably Comparable to Ancestor?: y
Realistic additions?:

Name:
Binomial Taxonomic Name?: N
Creator?: y

Ancestor:
Listed?: y
What changes?:

• External?: Lacy Support Structure
• Internal?:
• Behavioral/Mental?:

Are Changes Realistic?: y
New Genus Needed?: y

Habitat:
Type?: Tropical, Subtropical
Flavor?: Undersea Meadow, Shallows/Coast, Undersea Forest, Reef
Connected to Ancestor?: y
Contiguous?: yes
Wildcard?: n

Size:
Same as Ancestor?: y
Within range?: y (Post Extinction Gigantism)
Exception?:

Support:
Same as Ancestor?: n
Does it Fit Lifestyle?: y
Does It Fit Size?: y
Reasonable changes (if any)?:
Other?:

Diet:
Same as Ancestor?: yes
Transition Rule?: n
Reasonable changes (if any)?:

Respiration:
Same as Ancestor?: yes
Does It Fit Habitat?: yes
Does it Fit Size?: yes
Reasonable changes (if any)?:
Other?:

Thermoregulation:
Same as Ancestor?: yes
Does It Fit Habitat?: yes
Reasonable changes (if any)?:
Other?:

Reproduction:
Same as Ancestor?: y
Does It Fit Habitat?: y
Reasonable changes (if any)?:
Other?:


Description:
Length?: medium
Capitalized correctly?: yes, afaik
Replace/Split from ancestor?: split
Other?: good supplementary materials

Opinion: Pending

No Binomial name

This post has been edited by HethrJarrod: May 26 2023, 03:38 PM