Dragonthunders

When the Clarke's Tachybrachid extends its arms these are able to generate small pulses, which depending on what they want to communicate can have a specific pattern, varying in shape and pattern.

Of the various forms of Palthes that have been found among the oceans of the moon despite being considered as some of the most complex creatures found out of earth so far, of what regards intelligence they tend to be quite rudimentary in their cognitive abilities, i.e., do not possess what could be high thinking abilities only with mostly instinctive behaviors or basic reactions to external stimuli like many earth animals, this probably because of the habitable conditions of the environments that these organisms confronts that doesn't support high cognitive organisms.

However, in certain regions where hydrothermal vents have managed to establish a thriving ecosystem tend to host the ideal conditions to gather what could be said to be the closest thing to an intelligent creature that Europe has had. Living among the skeletons of the great reefs of vermiform creatures that grow on the slopes of the chimneys, where the greatest amount of biodiversity feeds on the residues of the rich chemical soup, some creatures no larger than 20 cm in length meander through the labyrinth of branches of the reefs, these are Palthes of the Lobatocauda type known as Tachybrachia, of the variety of flexible tail which belongs to a little peculiar clade that have a marked morphological variation, it belongs to a clade that has greatly modified 3 of its four arms, developing them in special organs able to amplify and conduct the electricity they generate with special muscles near the tail, their appearance is much more similar to that of a chordate, with an almost defined and long tail with the semi-curved end, a head and a more prominent jaw and not hidden, and having its fourth arm modified to grasp like a large proboscis that stays above of the head. From what can be inferred from several of its relative is that these developed these long electric tentacles for self-defense and also as a method of attack, to stun smaller prey, however this species has gone a little beyond in the use of these just for offensive/defensive actions. From what has been seen of these, when encountering individuals of the same species tend to extend these arms to the sides as far from one another, and during this time they begin to generate small and varied pulses of energy in a specific order, being controlled and with a pattern, being a type of communication. Depending on the action, they may react in different ways, from affection, acceptance, aggressiveness, and condescension, showing some sort of high developed communication with the ability to recognize such stimuli and give it a respective answer.

This species was named as the Clarke's Tachybrache (Electrobranchius clarkei), in honor of Arthur C. Clarke and his novel 2010: Odyssey Two where Europe is able to host life and intelligence because Jupiter becomes a star. The small Palthes are inhabitants of the most conglomerate areas of the called "Vent reefs", living in the interior or between the spaces of these, being able to slide through the holes and crevices with few problems, they establish in a specific area of each reef that protects, gathering in a group of around 15 individuals. Its behavior is an impressive aspect not seen in another species including relatives of its own clade this complex, showing cooperation and reactions with purpose, almost similar to that of certain cephalopods. They are mainly omnivores, feeding on both live prey as carrion which can tear with its 6 hook-shaped mouthparts that are inside the mouth. Its large arm with 4 long finger-like appendage tend to be used both to grasp prey and to interact with individuals by touches and caresses.

The oceans of Europe sustain another variety of carnivores other than hunters, these, those who do not hunt but filter the small plankton-like creatures that float in swarms forming small banks numerous enough to sustain varied organisms. They get to be very varied in their size, from creatures of the thumbnail length to sme giants that in spite of having a greater restriction in size in comparison to earth life by the moon conditions, these still stands as titanic beings.

Of the most prominent giants of this niche are the extravagant Baleainnocens, huge stubby Pisceselena of short bodies, with rather developed caudal fins that are used for swimming something similar to sunfishes on earth, each of these fins are able to move independently, while all the lateral front fins have reduced and disappeared. They are among the largest known organisms on the planet with the largest individuals calculated to weigh around 10 tons. Like other Piscioselena they present their mouth parts together forming a mouth, although it is divided into two parts, which can extend up to double its size, where within these have thousands of sows similar to baleen with which they capture their food. There are two varieties of Baleainnocens, defined by their environment, are those that surround the chimneys of the hydrothermal vents, Oases Baleainnocens, which roam and capture the clouds of tiny creatures, are more cylindrical in body, their fins tend to be short, quite extended throughout its body, to such a degree that the electroreceptors bulbs with which they are aligned tend to be shorter than the lateral ones. The second type are the open sea dwelling Pelagic Baleainnocens, they are species of greater length due to their immense fins that get to have the same length of their body, unlike their cylindrical relatives they have a more rhomboid body, and with division marked with a cephalothorax and a defined abdomen. They are capable of sailing in the open sea for good amount of times for its low metabolism, moving and catching whatever they can, even though they tend to stay often into the more rich fauna regions.

Most of these species tend to become mini islands of life and are capable of hosting smaller life forms, including parasites and sessile species that are planted in the skin of these.

The lack of light inside the oceans of the Jovian moon has caused the food chain to be based mainly on Chemosynthetic and heterotrophic creatures, not depending on autotrophs as does the marine life of the earth, therefore the majority of consumers in the Europan food chain are carnivores of different varieties, reaching at the top of the domain hierarchy some unique alpha predators that dominate their respective places. Near the bottom where large hydrothermal vents emerges, huge oasis across the towers flourish, where chemosynthetic lifeforms maintain a rich ecosystem, surrounded by different types of fauna, mostly sessile, sedentary or slow-moving, that consume either the rich soup of chemicals, the bacterias silt or the macroscopic creatures around, and above them are active creatures of which the largest organisms are several types of Palthes, being the dominant apex predators, the Harpagobrachians.

These megafauna Palthes also nicknamed "Hooked knifebodies" are part of the lineage of the Rigid Body Lobatocauda, which have lost the upper fin of their body, having developed its lower fin and has adopted a fairly vertical position compared to other Palthes due to to its hunting mode. Unlike most of its relatives, these presents a variation in its bauplan that breaks with the tetra-symmetry that normally have, with three of its arms and electroreceptor bulbs developed and pointing towards the front and its back arm having been modified to cover the mouth, and its fourth bulb quite reduced. Their size varies from species, ranging from 2 to 9 meters in length, and reaching the largest species to have an approximate weight of up to 3 tons. The three large arms have hundreds of small spines as hooks in conjunction with around 3 to 7 large spines on the ends that helps them catch their victims. Their way of hunting is by means of patience and ambush keeping floating around the hydrothermal vents, they wait for any potential prey that passes near their range to lower their guard and attack them from above, throwing their arms and crushing them in a kind of Deadly hug to then take them with his fourth arm and bring them to the mouth.

The name Palthes or Palpotheuta is just a colloquial term given by many members of the research team in charge of the first misions prior to its official classification, given the constant behavior of several species of touching and manipulating the investigation probes with their arms or tentacles, something that apparently was instinct of these to inspect objects of interest. Discovered in the middle of the 21st century by the first probes in the initial days of contact with the ocean of the jovial moon, these marked a milestone in astronomy as well human history for being the first complex organisms found outside the earth, the proof of the evidence that Advanced Multicellular lifeforms similar to that of the earth could exist in other worlds if these presented the ideal conditions. This clade is formed by at least 50000 known species (and calculated a possible total of 100000 species yet to be classified) among dozens of families, although most of them are less than one meter in lenght, a good amount of species are capable of reach megafauna size. They are creatures of mostly pelagic habits and carnivorous, found in several important points of trophic chains from planktonic, small, medium and large predators, filter feeders and scavengers.

Despite the varied forms that many species have taken and the number of known clades, two specific kinds of Palthes have been grouped based on the morphological development as genetic analyzes, the first and being considered the most basal on its cladistic tree are the Lobatocauda, the majority being characterized by their long bodies functioning as "tails" for movement with fairly simple fins. The use of their tails vary depending in how they are structured since several species tend t have very flexible and more muscular tails with the organs found very near the cephalon, capable of undulating movements (like an eel or a lamprey) and in others tend to use only the fins while the tail is completely rigid with the organs located in most of this (similar to a squid). Their mouthparts vary being some similar to arms or tentacles of different length and shape depending on feeding behaviors. They tend to possess a different number of electroreceptors bulbs, from 1 to 6 that are found only in the cephalon.

The second group, which attracted the attention of many exobiologists due of the convergence they present with the bony fish, are the Piscioselena, much more versatile in their form since they have developed more structured series of fins besides a more hydrodynamic body that allows them swim at high speed. Of course, this convergence is not complete since it still has certain marked characteristics of the Palthes, including its tetra-radial bauplan with four similar parts. In most species they have about 8 fins around the front of the body, depending on the species 4 pairs tend to have a specific and the other 4 others. unlike the Lobatocauda, these have a tail with a caudal fin, while the mouthparts have have become into a 4-part jaw with several smaller olfactory tentacles. Their bodies are more uniform, without separated Cephalon. The electroreceptors bulbs are much more established in this clade being only conformed by two types, the large nes that are in the frontal part of the body and a second group in the middle of the body which are smaller, connected by a lateral line and forming a circuit.

The life cycle of most species tends to be similar, they start as small free swimming larvae that develop through eggs or special organic structures, being a product of sexual or parthenogenetic reproduction with some unusual exceptions.
Although in several species the morphology of the larvae varies, the bauplan of these tends to be quite the same, being tetra-radial, segmented, with several pairs of fins per segment, 4 digestive tubes with the organs located in the middle of the "cephalon" and with oral cilia around the front. 

When Europa was explored through the use of special probes that crossed the miles of ice surface into the deep and unknown oceanic abyss, a rather pristine ecosystem had been revealed, which had remained hidden and isolated since the beginning of the existence of the moon, and in the following years and several more missions a hidden and biosphere was unveil that had adapted to the extravagant environment of the encapsulated ocean that neither the sunlight or outer object has touched, with its extraterrestrial fauna so alien as familiar in several aspects, some converging to the creatures of the earth thanks to the forces of natural selection, but still maintaining their own alien "essence". In the high stair of the complex life scientist had found a large group of creatures that combined features of chordates and cephalopods but so apart in some aspects, several with a body similar to a squid, fins extending from its long body although positioned vertically and not horizontal, just like the fins of a fish, with a "cephalon" in the middle of the body with which sensory organs can be distinguished and with several very robust limbs extending to the sides. This is the basic form of a Palpomorphs, one of the most common faunal lineages that swim in the alien waters of the Jovial moon.

Popularly called Palthids (short of the Palpoteuthids) they were the first long organisms from which contact was obtained in the initial days of exploration, being quite active creatures, always moving and swimming, their bodies are very muscular, all structured by an endoskeleton made of cartilage, but with several hardened parts similar to bone that make up them mouth and some "key structures" on 4 nervous spine that extend from the head to various sides of the body. Due to the conditions of perpetual darkness these creatures never evolved eyes or any visual sensory apparatus, instead these organisms focused on the development of large spongy electroreceptory structures being able to not only feel but to "see" the electric fields of any surrounding creature, as well a strong sense of smell to detect compounds. The robust arms being probably some form derived from mouth parts surrounds a snail-like mouth.
They are creatures of bilateral aspect externally, however detailed studies in the anatomy as ontogeny of these determined that their bauplan is actually Tetra-radial.

The most common species found of these are the Lobbed finned Palthids, characterized by a semi-rounded simple fin structure and extending along the body of this.

However, all that was totally eradicated in a single flash of light that in less than a second swept the atmosphere of one side of the planet. This burst of energy originated from a star just a few hundred light-years from the earth that had become a supernova, which launched this huge gamma ray burst, directly towards the earth, and what followed after its contact, was extinction. The high energy and radiation had burned one side of the planet and much of the life that was there, changed the atmospheric chemistry making the atmosphere unbreathable for terrestrial life, and destroying the ozone layer. Things got worse in the ocean, since jet radiation eradicated much of the marine surface plankton, and now the powerful solar radiation subsequently wiped out the rest for the next few years, causing a chain effect that collapsed the trophic chains, causing the deterioration of complete marine environments and thus leading to the destruction of ocean life across the globe. Almost all pluricellular life on the planet succumbed to the event, leaving the surface of the planet sterile, however, in some deeper corners of the planet survived a handful of organisms that clung to its existence in harsh conditions, which in the long term saved them of the total damage, some vertebrates, a handful of small mollusks such as snails, jellyfish, echinoderms, and varieties of worms, living from the scarcity of the seabed endured the catastrophe, and without further competition, in the following millions of years, they began to diversify and to rebuild the terrestrial biosphere, with a new variety of organisms.

285 Millions of years after the event, the world's oceans are recovered and replete with life as in the past, although with a large number of new animals, survivors of both the great extinction and the subsequent changes during all that time, with the vertebrates at the beginning at the head of the food chain and in great diversity, but at this point of time, they have gradually lost their place and have been displaced by others. The most prominent marine animal now, arose from the disappearance of some advanced groups of mollusks such as cephalopods, filling the niche before other surviving molluscs did, and in tens of millions of years they ascended to finally explode in new and varied ways. In a reef of what was once the African west coast, different types of organisms descended from echinoderms, molluscs and Cnidaria form vast reefs, and among them, a complex variety of animals proliferate and coexist, from small fish, long pseudo-slugs descendant of snails, several types of starfish, and many, many worms, survivors from mud that keep crawling across the ocean, some many now able to swim. One type in particular, a polychaete, moves awkwardly plowing the subsoil in search of nutritive detritus, sneaking between rocks and several of the sessile animals around it, these are descendants of the deep forms that have passed without few changes, being practically similar varying in sizes. However, above this, there is another divergent branch of his, although completely divergent to its own kind. It is semi-cylindrical in shape, it does not have a segmented body, but from its lower part there are multiple defined fins, with a bulging face, antennae, and 2 pairs of eyes of different sizes. This other animal is a descendant of the same polychaete that still exist, taking the empty niches and exploring them in a new way, this is a kind of Scutomalli, a Theutoselacha.


The Theutoselacha (Squid sharks) are a fairly prolific group of marine animals that diverged from the annelid Polychaetes tens of millions of years after the gamma burst, emerging as one of the various new groups that filled the vacancies and that subsequent to another mass extinction events, they diversified and expanded in all marine ecosystems. 

Evolution

This group emerged from the subsoil of the seabed approximately 25 million years after the serious mass extinction with the restoration and stabilization of the food chain around the planet, its type was one of several forms that appeared thanks to several evolutionary radiations, being these short-bodied swimmers almost similar to anomalocaridos but with several tentacles and retractable jaws. These were not the only Polychaetes that appeared, however, they were one of the few that survived the resurgence of vertebrates that gradually displaced most annelids. The difference that helped them to maintain their position as pelagic creatures was the development of morphology more suitable for swimming, being compact and fins properly designed to move. For another 150 million years this group remained at the head with the new vertebrates, being quite similar in position to the extinct cephalopods, adopting various shapes and sizes. Its time would come approximately 250 million years after man, with the already formed Novopangea and a new igneous province which would lead to a new mass extinction, ending almost all the life that had arisen for this moment, including the dominant vertebrates. Of course, Theutoselacha survived the extinction, although losing much of their previous diversity, but still managing to surpass the event. One of the two varieties that survived, in particular, characterized by having their tentacles and mouth retracted and behind their facial "mask", which after took the vacant niches, and for the next 110 million years they would become the predominant group of marine fauna in the planet.

Physical characteristics

The morphological distinctions that exist between the Theutoselacha and their polychaete ancestors are remarkable, with a fairly simple Prostomium (head) in primitive species, being only the small head with the 2 pairs of eyes and about 6 long tentacles. But in the high derived species, this is much more structured, with the "face" divided into two sections, one attached to the body and the other functioning as a "cover plate", covering the tentacles and mouth, giving them an extra protection, and allowing its body to adopts a suitable shape for swimming without to adjust the mouth and tentacle shape and size; The metastomy (soma) has lost segmentation, being fairly uniform in external appearance, forming a rigid body, only supported by arches of cartilage and muscles. The Parapodia (appendices) have been derived in multiple fin-like limbs, emerging the Neuropodium and the Parapodium in a single muscular structure, with the Setaes forming the main fins. Above the body in most species protrude two long dorsal fins, and at the end of their tail, they have 2 pairs of long fins. The body skin in most species is soft, covered by dozens of modified setae that have become structures similar to dermal denticles, while the head is composed of chitin in larger species and in smaller of minerals like calcium.

Diversity

At this point of time, 360 million years after mankind, there are around 7,000 species in this group, all only in salt water, most of them being pelagic creatures, only a few tens capable of exceeding one meter in length. They are subdivided in two main groups: Anomalotheutoides (1) the most primitive forms that still have a very familiar polychaete look, with a more segmented body and dorsal fins, and the Mascocephali (2), the more fish like in appearance, without a segmented body, fused dorsal fins and the structured head. 

a) Proteonectus

This is a very common Anomalotheutoides characterized by its basic form which is an example of a transitional animal from one group to another, with a clearly segmented body, fins not yet merged, with the separated Parapodia, and a simple head with 6 long tentacles. It is quite common in coastal areas, living at depths of between 25 to 50 meters, inhabits rocky terrain or dominated by vast regions of algae and marine plants.

b) Bacillucaroides

Know also as “Rod-flies” is the most distributed form of Anomalotheutoides, being at least 2 to 5 cm long, they are characterized by its long and thin body, being small filter feeders that forms schools made up of millions and even perhaps billions of individuals. It has huge eyes, with long thin tentacles and antennae, which are useful for catching the elusive plankton.

c) Lithocranius

This predatory species of 50 cm long had returned to the sedentary and almost sessile habits of its ancestors, however, adopting a new type of strategy because of its divergent morphology. It keeps its body hidden in an opening that digs with a pair of modified shovel-like tentacles, leaving only the head protruding from the ground, which has changed to adopt the appearance of an irregular rock, the eyes are thin and the same coloration of the head, and its antennas are now minuscule. Under its mouth it has a long proboscis, which is fused with the other 4 tentacles, taking the shape of a double with which it is capable of holding possible victims. The rest of his body that was once designed for the life of a swimmer has changed, being now short legs being the last but long, muscular, fins reduced in the form of hooks, dorsal fins quite reduced, with a semi-conical body.

d) Scutomalli

Scutomalli is a genus of Mascocephali, distributed by all continental coast regions around the world and with dozens of species, being the most common the Scutomalli monocromus, a species of completely grayish coloration, dark gray face, black fins, and with black spots and stripes distributed throughout its body. They are mainly pasive swimmers, omnivorous of gregarious habits, not larger than 40 cm in length, they inhabit mainly in the limits of the reefs and sandy bottoms. They are quite generalists in their diet, able to feed on different types of fauna and flora.

e) Pachysarcas

This large open sea carnivore of about 8 meters long, is a formidable predatory Mascocephali, being one of the most intelligent species of the ocean, they are creatures of a social lifestyle, living in groups of around 10 to 15 individuals, which hunt together almost in a similar way to the Orcas, being quite curious, with the ability to make strategies to solve problems, or capture potential preys. In appearance they are quite robust, with a body similar to the extinct great sharks, a huge head with mantis-like eyes, two different groups of pectoral fins, 2 long and 6 broad, dorsal delta fins, and two pairs of broad caudal fins. Beneath the lower face is a series of deadly instruments, 6 long and thorny tentacles, possessing 4 of the six huge hooks at their tips, and a robust butcher beak-

f) Echinopteridus

This species, together with its type, represent the armored forms of the group, characterized by their varied armor made of hard chitin and calcium spines and hardened plates. Most of these are not fast swimmers, on the contrary, they are creatures of slow habits, inhabiting areas of the seabed from reefs to plant areas, they are mainly dentritivorous and herbivorous with peaks adapted to grind plant material or to plow the bottom in search of nutrients , with very weak tentacles. The species in the image is mainly reef, with a dark crimson, coloration, and quite marked turquoise aqua spots with a rhomboid body, large but narrow when seen in front, is approximately 2 meters in length.

g) Docopteridus

This species represents a radiation adapted to life in the open sea, adapted as a speed predator that catches varieties of smaller species, The Docopteridus is a Sword fish like Mascocephali, with a length of three meters, is characterized by the specialization of some of its fins, being two elongated and fixed in place, being wing-shaped, They are used to stabilize the animal while swimming, as well with its dorsal fins, and two pairs of thin but firm caudal fins. To move the long body, it uses the other pairs of normal muscular fins, which with powerful movements alongside with the movement of its flexible body is able to reach speeds of up to 80 km per hour. The upper face has been hypertrophied, developing in a pointed shaped structure, while the lower face has been compacted, which have several tentacles with broad tips that allow them to catch the prey that ends cutting with the pointed upper face.

When you are named after a tribe of the Roman Republic era but then internet exist and your name can be used as a meme 

Just for context there is a genus of amphibian named Boii, which is a genus microsaur of the lizard-like clade Tuditanidae, that lived at the end of the carboniferous. Although its specimen was found during the 19th century it was not given its current name until 1966 after having been reassigned to different genus, being this name referring to a Celtic tribe.

Nutritional snacks such as small animals tend to be common for larger animals to obtain certain components, from medium size and large theropods, as for several large herbivores as well, specifically this young Diplodocus that found this weakened coelurosaur and has quickly taken it and is in process of swallowing it.

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This was supposed to be the 16th entry for my dinovember, related to doing something nutritious, however I could not finish it until a few weeks ago, my original idea was to publish all the 15 remaining pieces of dinovember throughout December but I miscalculated and until now I have not been able to complete everything, so I'm just going to publish the pieces that I could complete more or less for the next days not counting them for dinovember.

This small bird inhabits the central deserts of South America at some point in 300 million years after our era when the continent eventually collided with the amalgam of East Asia, Australia, Antarctica and North American. This bird comes from a group of tropical forest dwellers, but that has been adapted to the new climate. Normally it remains quiet among the small shrubs between several smaller plants, being its main method of camouflage since it imitates the appearance of these plants.

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Honestly is great that Joschua Knüppe made a return to the Spec challenge which I found interesting, and I'm glad to participate on one after a long time (specially because I didn't participate the last ones )
Part of the #specchallenge6