THE
MERCARTO
FLY |
Mercarto flies (a
human rendering of the
Styrásh
már'cár'tó
or már'cár'tó
- a direct translation is difficult but indicates that these waterliving incects
are takers of elven life) is actually something
of a misnomer, as they are in fact carnivourous flying beetles, sucking blood
from other animals. The Shendar
of southern Sarvonia know them as "Tra'mat".
Normally native only on the Narfost Plain,
they are killed off annually after mating and laying eggs by the cold of winter.
However, if the climate further north is favourable they have, on occasion,
migrated as far north as
New-Santhala.
The beetles are now known, thanks to a series of elegant experiments in the last
ten years to carry a pathogen, lethal to elves
in the more northerly forests, while elves
of the Sharadon seem to have an innate resistance. In
humans the pathogen seems only to produce mild
vomiting for several days.
Appearance.
When in flight these beetles appear to be flies, with their
small wing cases tucked in and hidden from view, and their long projected legs.
However, upon landing it is clear that Mecarto flies are most definetly beetles.
They are quite unremarkable to look at, about the size of a man's fingernail,
with black wing casings. What makes them easy to identify is their long legs,
unusual for a beetle.
Special Abilities.
But do not let their overall appearance fool you. For closer
examination identifies them as uniquely dapted to the harsh life on the
arid plains. Detailed analysis by the
human Scientist Camen
Prelvin, based at Marcogg, showed that as invertbrates with little cirulatory
system, the beetles must conserve water, as such
the excretion system is brilliantly setup to prevent
water loss, as water is reabsorbed, therefore toxins are -
if necessary
- excreted as dry pellets. Respiration is also heavily regulated,
spirochets on the legs of the beetle can be opened at
night to take in oxygen, and closed to the heat of the day to prevent
evaporation.
Prevlin also undertook a detailed study of the mouth parts of the beetles and
showed the normal mandibles have undergone intense adaptation as a result of
their diet. To suck the blood of other animals, their
mouth parts have become much elongated with, a sharp point to allow penetration
of the the animal's skin. Prevlins original sketches and
observations are reproduced below.
Image description: The original sketches of Prevlin showing the analysis of the Mercarto Fly. Click on any of the sketches to enlarge. Sketches drawn by Wren. |
Territory.
Normally isolated on the arid Narfost
Plains, though they have been found further north if
climatic conditions that year allow it.
Habitat/Behaviour.
Larvas hatch underground and must tunnel their way to the
surface. This is done using the larval mouthparts. For
the first few days of life, the larva must live
underwater, thus hatching occurs in spring after the
heavy rainfalls. The larva then pupate on the surface
after three days in a floating casing known as a loit. At this stage they are
very vulnerable to being eaten by other animals and
birds. As such one beetle produces millions of eggs, only
a few hundred at most will reach maturity.
After puption, the insects climb onto their loit and fly away. Much of the rest
of their life is spent on the wing, landing only to feed and to lay eggs.The
eggs must be laid in an area where there will be water next year, hence eggs are
laid underground, observation suggests often in the exact
same position as the beetles own place of birth.
The beetles are killed off by the cold of the winter. Hence there is a new
generation every year.
Diet.
Marcarto Flies have adapted to suck the blood of animals. They are not fussy
eaters, equally at home sucking the blood of
aj‘nuvic,
humans, and perhaps prefer them as
human skin is less
thick, and there is little fur to penetrate. Blood is an ideal food for these
flies, few other food sources provide such an easily absorbed source of water
and nutrients.
Mating.
Mating is a very simple process. The female lays here
eggs in an underground tunnel that she has dug, using paddle like front legs.
Males find these tunnels and fertilise the eggs, many males may fertilise the
same batch of eggs.
The Sickness.
These beetles have recently identified to carry a pathogen that is fatal
to elves, though those living in the Sharadon
forests seem to have an innate resistance. The nature of
this pathogen is as yet unclear, though what is clear from Prevlin's experiments
is that the pathogen is both carried within the beetle and released into water
in which the beetles pupate in.
The Mercartos are not often found underground and so do not present a large
hazard to the dwarven race; however, the
Thergerim do have a reaction to the pathogen
and a name for the beetles. "MarGruterons" (MarGruterons)
translates as "Blood-Biters". Something in the saliva of the insect reacts
poorly with Thergerim
blood, causing it to not coagulate properly, and the sufferer generally dies of
an acute hemophiliac reaction.
In the normal climate this pathogen is probably kept in check by natural
predators of the the insects, especially during the larva
and pupa stages. They are also killed off by the cold of the winter on the
Narfost Plains.
When climatic conditions are extreme
the beetles may move northward. The most devestating case of this was
during the third
great flood, when warm weather and the intense rains previously provided
ideal conditions for them to move as far as the Zeiphyr
and the Quallian.
Here their natural predators did not exist, and the warmer wetter winter meant
that they were not killed off annually, as is normally the case. Thus the flies
multiplied in great numbers, though this in itself was not a huge problem. The
problem was that they carried with them their pathogen, the nature of which is
not yet clear, which in the stagnent flood waters lingered in the water supply
for many years. This is what earned the flies their
elven title as the water life takers. The
Sickness killed many members of both the emerging
Ylfferhim and the
Quaelhoirhim.
However, the flies were eventually controlled by a return to normal climate.
Information provided by
Wren
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