lacreys

Lacreys are a very common insect in Lustria's swamps and jungles ranging from the size of a gum drop to the size of a human child's fist.
Lacreys breed fast and die fast. So much so that Lizardmen use them as a metaphor for fools calling each other "lacrey" if they are about to do something dangerous. It may not be a fair statement as Lustria has lots of species that use R-type mass breeding as their main survival tactic.
Confirmation bias makes it seem like lacreys die easily because large lacreys are easier to notice than small lacreys anc lacreys become slower and less agile the bigger they grow. Smaller lacreys are fast and nimble enough to avoid predators and other hazards much better than full grown lacreys.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

Lacreys typically reach sexual maturity in two months though this can be delayed if food scarce. Females tend to lay up to two hundred eggs at a time.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Lacrey's vary in size widely and a lacrey's size is determined by how much they eat. Lacreys are the garbage service of Lustria. They eat carrion, rotting vegetation, and fecal matter.
When they reach their maximum size is when they mate, with females laying eggs directly into a pile of carrion, rotting vegetation, or fecal matter.
Lacreys of all sizes and ages have an acid spit. This acid is not strong enough to do more than make a Skink have a mild itch, but over time it will expediate the decomposition of rotting organic matter making it easier for lacreys to eat and digest.
Lacreys are commonly consumed by much larger predators. Smaller and younger lacreys have stronger acid than older and larger lacreys, enough so that small lacreys can use their acid as a defensive weapon. A small and young lacrey can use their acid to disuade insects and spiders of roughly their same weight class from trying to eat them. They can even use their acid to free themselves from spider webs.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Like a lot of insects in Lustria, lacreys are commonly eaten by various predators. Lacreys aren't very tough, fast, or clever so they rely on rapid breeding to remain viable, but they do have one defense mechanism, their acid spit.
Their acid is intended to help eat rotten organic material and has little ability to cause serious harm to living beings but it does cause indigestion so more intelligent predators that remember what happened the last time they ate a lacrey will often bypass eating lacrey in favor of something tastier.

"Lacreys spray their mild acid on their food and this acid makes them unpleasant to eat. Their acid is generated in a sac under their heads where a chin would be a skin. It is small bump. If you scrape off the bump with a sharp knife, eating a lacrey suddenly becomes much more pleasant.
Lacreys eat rotting vegetation, animal carcasses, and fecal matter. A lacrey that has animal carcasses gradually starts to turns a dull shade of red. A lacrey that eats vegetation gradually turns black. A lacrey that eats eats poop gradually turns a shiny blue.
If you are going to eat a lacrey, don't eat the shiny ones.
-@tal, beast caste Skink ranger, scout and forager

Average Intelligence

Insects are not very smart as a rule though Lustria has some surprisingly smart insects, lacreys are famously not smart and will singlemindedly pursue food sources heedless of dangers present.
Again this is why "lacrey" is a slang term for a "reckless moron" among Skinks.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Lacreys have poor hearing and eye sight and rely on their keen sense of smell to find food.

Lifespan

two years max. They can breed after three months.