Uv’ak Beetles are an insect native to the planet
Epra, which are often consumed for their hallucinogenic properties.
Appearance
Uv’ak Beetles are small oval beetles, around an inch in length, with a bright red, brown, and green exoskeleton. They have three sets of thin legs with hook-like ends that allow them to climb and cling to things.
They have one set of wings as well as a set of wing cases that sit over the wings when they are not flying.
There are slight differences between the common worker Uv’ak Beetles and the egg-laying Uv’ak Beetles, with the egg-laying Uv’ak Beetles being bigger and nearly immobile only really able to lay eggs.
Uv’ak Beetles do not start their lifecycle in the Beetle stage, starting as eggs that hatch into small yellow larvae. The larvae create a hallucinogenic chemical that when consumed by predators causes them to have hallucinations and such, a defense mechanism that dissuades other creatures from eating them.
Biology
Diet
Uv’ak Beetles eat mostly plant matter as well as smaller bugs.
Behavior
Uv’ak Beetles build colonies by burrowing underground and creating complex sets of tunnels and chambers for food storage and the like. At the entrances, the colonies have small mounds made of dirt and mud.
Uv’ak Beetles have a hierarchy with egg-laying females at the top, being cared for by worker Uv’ak Beetles who care for the eggs, larvae, and cocoons. The worker Uv’ak Beetles gather food for the colony and build and build their burrow nest. When the colony is threatened, the worker Uv’ak Beetles will attack the threat, swarming and biting it until it leaves. Egg-laying Uv’ak Beetles are born from a special kind of egg, called a royal egg, which develops into an egg-laying Uv’ak Beetles when it hatches and eventually reaches maturity.
The colony nursery workers care for their young from the egg stage until they are in their adult form. The larvae stage tends to last three months before they cocoon (the pupa stage) and turn into their adult state.
Uses
When eaten in the larvae stage, they cause hallucinations and a rush of serotonin, however, if too much is taken they may cause effects like nausea, dizziness, paranoia, and even death. Due to this, the raising and owning of them is strictly controlled by the government.
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