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Description
Here's a small sample of a major group of Ilian life forms. They dominate most of the planet's habitable zone (the sun-facing hemisphere), take on a multitude of forms, and occupy many niches. See where they fall on the evolutionary tree .
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"Thoracostomes - This diverse group is characterized by a ventral mouth lined with teeth, like a radula, for scraping food off of rocks and boring holes into plants. A few species are parasites of animals as well. Their method of respiration – diffusion through the skin – limits their size, but not their abundance." (from Animal Diversity on Ilion)

Notes on Hexapede Thoracostomes

1. Ventral view of a typical hex thrax. Three suction pad feet and a radula lie flat against the chest.

2. Obsidian thrax and two unnamed species adapted to freshwater environments.

3. Five brachyderm thraxes. Branched and feathery extensions of the skin aid in thermoregulation, gas exchange, and camouflage.

4. Cobalt thrax, an ectoparasite

5. Tiger’s toe, a detritivore

6. Heart of gold, an herbivore

7. Dogskull, a scavenger

8. Ax thrax, an herbivore

9. False buoyphyte , one of the many surface grazers of Hidden Lake

10. Planted pot (a red plant) and its mimic, the faux pot.

11. The berries of the black plant on the right are a dietary staple of many herbivores. The prominent structures on the imitator’s stalk are filled with eggs. When eaten, the larvae will hatch and parasitize the host until they reach breeding age.
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All of these were painted in watercolor on a single sheet of paper. They're small paintings, hence the lack of detail.

Description
Here's a small sample of a major group of Ilian life forms. They dominate most of the planet's habitable zone (the sun-facing hemisphere), take on a multitude of forms, and occupy many niches. See where they fall on the evolutionary tree .
____________________________________
"Thoracostomes - This diverse group is characterized by a ventral mouth lined with teeth, like a radula, for scraping food off of rocks and boring holes into plants. A few species are parasites of animals as well. Their method of respiration – diffusion through the skin – limits their size, but not their abundance." (from Animal Diversity on Ilion)

Notes on Hexapede Thoracostomes

1. Ventral view of a typical hex thrax. Three suction pad feet and a radula lie flat against the chest.

2. Obsidian thrax and two unnamed species adapted to freshwater environments.

3. Five brachyderm thraxes. Branched and feathery extensions of the skin aid in thermoregulation, gas exchange, and camouflage.

4. Cobalt thrax, an ectoparasite

5. Tiger’s toe, a detritivore

6. Heart of gold, an herbivore

7. Dogskull, a scavenger

8. Ax thrax, an herbivore

9. False buoyphyte , one of the many surface grazers of Hidden Lake

10. Planted pot (a red plant) and its mimic, the faux pot.

11. The berries of the black plant on the right are a dietary staple of many herbivores. The prominent structures on the imitator’s stalk are filled with eggs. When eaten, the larvae will hatch and parasitize the host until they reach breeding age.
___________________________________

All of these were painted in watercolor on a single sheet of paper. They're small paintings, hence the lack of detail.