Dusklights (Copy Colonies)
A wretched monster known for their apparent shapeshifting ability, but not all is as it seems...
Basic Information
Anatomy
The tiny creatures have a thick hard shell on their back that is a naturally bright purple color that seems to shift and change depending on their mood and environment. The rest of the creature is a soft grayscale with a pitch black beak containing several rows of teeth. They have many legs that work in unison to propel them forward at astonishing speeds.
A queen can be identified by the horn and fang like structures around the head-which average workers lack.
Biological Traits
The back of their exoskeleton is capable of re-creating the last appearance of something they eat. This is learned through the highly specific tastebuds of the creature which can determine both texture and color. They taste color.
Genetics and Reproduction
Only one queen's nesting period of a week is required to absolutely infest a home or cave. A queen can lay over a thousand eggs in a month-of which can hatch and grow in the span of a week.
On rare occasions, a queen may produce another queen. This queen will either kill their matriarch and take over or leave to start their own.
Growth Rate & Stages
It takes only a week for these critters to go from just being hatched to fully grown and working for their colony. During their period of growth, they will simply wander and observe their fellow workers.
Ecology and Habitats
Dusklight Decoys thrive best in humid or warm environments. They also love to gravitate towards the homes of sapients for their warmth accompanied by plentiful places to hide.
They also adore dark caverns where they can grow their numbers in secret. They work day in and day out to shift the world around them to their liking.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Given their small size it would be easy to think that their carnivorous nature is out of the ordinary. However, despite their lack of intelligence, the hive expresses exceptional teamwork during hunts that are admired by insect enthusiasts everywhere.
If big enough and incapable of finding pre-killed food, the hive will collect together and shift the colors on their back to highly specific colors. The hive will connect and latch onto one another to build an apparent replica of the last creature they ate. They work in unison to move like the creature does and seemingly shapeshift into said creature. However, they are unable to replicate sounds or lift objects.
A variety of methods have been recorded for hunting in this form. This ranges from acting like wounded child in need of help to acting like an intriguing statue for the curious gaze to closely inspect.
Once the prey has been lured close, the hive will collectively lunge at the prey and swarm the body. From there, the prey will slowly be torn apart and eaten alive.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Each hive contains 1-4 queens with millions of workers. They are a hive-minded species that has teamwork down to a perfection.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Everywhere.
Average Intelligence
Dumb as rocks, driven completely by instinct.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Fly-vision. Deaf, but sensitive to vibrations. Hates light.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Dusklights love lairs of Mimicking Serpents due to the frequency of prey. While the Mimicking Serpent replicates the voice, the Dusklights can mimic appearance. They tend to steal the prey of Mimicking serpents and are actively hunted by the larger species because of this.
Scientific Name
Tristis exemplum
Lifespan
5 months
Conservation Status
Overabundant, pests.
Average Height
.5 cm
Average Weight
too light to determine
Average Length
1cm
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