Lumpcrabs

Lumpcrabs (Deformemcancera)

A phylum of small, marine scavengers and detrivores resembling fleshy, bulbous Earth crustaceans. There are several hundred known species, most the size of Earth mites and isopods. The largest grow to three pounds or more, these consist of slow-growing deep-sea scavengers and semi-parasitic forms that feed off of larger anelii (massive filter-feeders) and their waste. There are also a few open-ocean floaters who can reach a little over two pounds, most notably the Balloon Lumpcrab, and some half-pound shoreline scavengers found in colder waters.

The vast majority of species are tiny, rapidly-breeding denizens of the seafloor. They eat virtually anything organic, and their populations follow boom and bust cycles revolving around the presence of food. A massive colony numbering in the billions may form on the carcass of an anelii or some other large marine creature, with most of its members starving shortly after the food disappears. These Lumpcrab hordes are a revolting sight but provide a brief bounty for many small marine predators. The fleshy bodies of Lumpcrabs are generally padded with insulating fat, which is necessary as most species live in very cold waters where they have less competition from other marine scavengers such as the ubiquitous Vermipods. Most species are dull-colored, with some being a pale, fleshy pink or red. Deep-water species often are adorned with small biolights.

The Lumpcrab body plan is simple. They have six segmented legs, each tipped in a broad, keratinous claw. Most species bear sensory filaments on their legs, these being hair-like projections that are invaluable to the many deep-sea species, creatures who spend their days shambling around the void. The body is bulbous and malformed in appearance, this is due to the presence of insulating fat and the large, bulbous mucus glands found in most species. The skin is soft and flexible in most abyssal species, as to resist the extreme water pressure. Most shallow-water forms, however, have developed a smoother bodyplan with hard, thick skin. The head is small and keratinous. In most species the mouth is a simple proboscis that excretes digestive fluids on the Lumpcrab's chosen meal, but certain scavenging species have reduced their proboscis and evolved small mandibles to tear chunks of flesh. Two eyes are present in most species but well-developed in none, having little use to their owners. In deep-water species the eyes are merely vestigial.

Lumpcrabs, numerous as they are, were far more diverse in prehistoric times. Competition from more advanced marine scavengers and detrivores with tough, armored shells drove the vast majority of Lumpcrabs to dark, cold waters unknown to those above. They thrive there, being some of the most numerous animals in polar and abyssal waters. It is thought there may be well over a thousand species currently extant on Elonios, most of these tiny seafloor detrivores, though the difficulties of deep-water research make this difficult to confirm.