Starfly
Travellers who enter the Forest of Stars are always in awe of the canopy. In the summer, iridescent bugs that seem like giant butterflies flutter through the air, shining like star dropped from heaven. In the colder months, the adults are replaced by the shining chrysalises of the young, which dangle and glow from every branch. Though the roosts of Weaver Bats keep the forest in perpetual dim light, the shining starfly chrysalises light up the forest like a sea of natural lightbulbs. In the local language, they're known as "fallen star bugs".
Basic Information
Anatomy
The larva stage has a thin, segmented body with 10 stubby legs. [br[
The chrysalis is about the size and shape of a man's thumb.[br[
After they emerge as adults, they have a small head with two antenna and a mouth with pincers. They have a tapering thorax covered in soft fuzz, and then a large abdomen that glows with bioluminescence. Their wings are like a butterflies, each the size of a man's hand.
The chrysalis is about the size and shape of a man's thumb.[br[
After they emerge as adults, they have a small head with two antenna and a mouth with pincers. They have a tapering thorax covered in soft fuzz, and then a large abdomen that glows with bioluminescence. Their wings are like a butterflies, each the size of a man's hand.
Genetics and Reproduction
Starfly larva hatch in the wet, mossy soil around the roots of the Suhïmppo trees. After hatching, the larva slowly begin to ascend the trees. Those that make it to the high branches without being eaten (a process that takes several weeks) build chrysalises on the underside of branches or the roosts of Weaver Bats. While in this form, chemicals in their bodies create bioluminescence that warns predators that the pupa is poisonous and tastes terrible. They stay in this form for all of autumn and winter before emerging in the spring as adults. Adults mate at the end of summer, lay their eggs at the base of the trees, and die shortly after.
Ecology and Habitats
It lives in swampy forests with very tall trees. It requires heavy canopy cover so that proper daylight never reaches it, because in daylight, predators can't as easily see the chrysalis' glow to tell them it's toxic. Younger, weaker ones that take longer to reach the tree tops have to travel farther down the branches and may not find a suitable twig that can support them through the winter.
Dietary Needs and Habits
In its larval stage, it eats the moss on the Suhïmppo Tree as it climbs upward. Once it emerges as an adult, it eats smaller flying bugs like mosquitoes and gnats. It comes out at night to snatch the insects out of the air like a bat.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Found only in the swamp forest of the Kaabara isthmus
Lifespan
1 year
Average Height
2-3 inches from head to abdomen, wingspan of 6-7 inches.
Average Weight
About 4 grams
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Wings are bright red and orange, bodies dark brown to black.
