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Psychromantis huntPreradkor on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/preradkor/art/Psychromantis-hunt-270357938Preradkor

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Psychromantis hunt

By
Preradkor
Published: Nov 22, 2011
7.2K Views

Description

Psychromantis pravus a moment before attacking young specimen of genus Serpentosphinx.
Both species are arboreal and rarely can be seen beneath forest canopy, but I decided to draw them on snow. They live in equatorial forests of planet Ullr, the most life-rich place of planet, where temperature is usually higher than 0 degree Celcius. This ecosystem resembles Earth taiga with red-black plants, but comparing to other frozen biomes of Ullr, looks like a real jungle. Creatures in the equatorial forest are the most diversified and many bizarre species lives here.
Psychromantises are common predatory mantis-like askewbugs on Ullr. Psychromantis pravus is one of the biggest of its genus. It reaches 17 centimeters long and is able to hunt not only for other askewbugs but also small Ullr vertebrates. Like many mantises and stick insects on Earth, it looks like a branch and is very hard to spot on tree canopies. It protects it from predators and facilitates ambush hunt. Its single raptorial leg let Psychromantis hunt like earth mantises, but is not very good for holding fighting prey. So Psychromantises don’t eat it alive, but after catching, quickly kills prey by attacking back of its head with claw on their second antenna. Very long and thin raptorial leg of Psychromantis pravus is quite fragile, so this species unless is not very hungry, usually prefer to hunt on small prey. This Serpentosphinx may be killed, but it is hazardous hunt for the askewbug.
Serpentosphinxes are popular small snake-like reptillan herbivores. On Ullr, reptilian vertebrate forms has only one pair of legs (second appeared on more advanced forms as a duplication of first pair). Because Serpentosphinxes are mostly arboreal, they climb using not only sharp claws on inward of their fingers but also long snake like abdomen. So Serpentosphinxes looks like earth amphisbaenas, but climbs like boas with climbing hooks, and eats plants. Biggest species of this genus reach to even 5 meters long, but most grow only to about 70 centimeters and young specimens of smaller species can be hunted by large askewbugs. Like all Ullr vertebrates, Serpentosphinx has four long tongues used for sniffing. Here all are protruded, because creature desperately tries to look bigger.

I always wanted to draw “askewmantis”. I really like this species because it is the strangest of all my askewbugs. But it looks nightmarish enough, I would not want to hold it in my hand. :-)
This species is based on large branch like mantis (Toxodera, Sibylla, Heterochaeta and Popa).

Other creatures from planet Ullr you can see here:
Glaciophobos: fav.me/d33zxov
Askewbugs: fav.me/d2gw5h8
Fauna of planet Ullr 1: fav.me/d5zt5xy
Fauna of planet Ullr 2: fav.me/d5zt6k7
Fauna of planet Ullr 3: fav.me/dc5gtc8
Fauna of planet Ullr 4: fav.me/dc5gugx
Fauna of planet Ullr 5: fav.me/dc5gv04
Fauna of planet Ullr 6: fav.me/dc5gvqg
Titanobestia: fav.me/d4xngag
Planktonic askewbugs: fav.me/dc6ibai
Image size
1947x978px 155.09 KB
© 2011 - 2026 Preradkor
Comments5
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AmnioticOef's avatar
AmnioticOef
Nov 22, 2011
Wow, the Psychromantis is totally surreal; that single branched leg by its head is an especially nice touch.

I like how both creatures are red to blend in with the native vegetation.

Does Ullr have any life at all in the polar regions?
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