Bŭniim

A large flying insect, approximately 3cm long, which feeds on decaying organic matter.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Bŭliim have come in various colours - most commonly grey-green, but also blue, brown, or black. Males have one pair of antennae, while females have two. Both sexes have two pairs of wings, which poriduce a distinctive droning noise when they fly, and their most recognisable features are their large mandibles and hooked feet.

Genetics and Reproduction

Bŭniim breed year-round, with females storing sperm within her abdomen until she has the opportunity to find a living host which the larvae can parasitise. The females have a second pair of antennae, which are used to detect body heat and exhaled carbon dioxide. Once a host has been located, the female uses her mandibles to breach the animal's skin, carving out a divot into which she lays up to twelve fertilised eggs. These eggs hatch into larvae which are the primary symptom of the disease mousewarts.
The rateat which the larvae grow is dependent on the body temperature of the host and the availability of nutrients. The eggs take around a week to pupate and up to a month to develop into their adult form.
An unusal quirk of the Eastern Black Bŭniim is that the females lay either male or female larvae. The mechanism that determines which sex the eggs are has not yet been identified.

Ecology and Habitats

Commonly found in sewers, tanneries, abbatoirs, and near refuse piles - anywhere that rotten and decaying material is found in abundance.

Averse to light, they are mainly active at night, but may be found indoors or in sheltered, underground, or dark places. They use their antennae to seek out decaying material, particularly meat or excrement, which they eat. This sensing ability is very sensitive and hampered by strong wind and works most effectively in 'stale' air, or air with minimal disturbances.

Conservation Status

Widely considered vermin