Black Kirakirafish

“... and there in the dark she will guard her broods. Shimmering in the darkness, awaiting the rest of the colony to provide her next meal…”  

- Adventures through Forests: Imerathan, by Leopold Der Vitner

Overview

Black Kirakirafish are in fact not a type of fish, but a distant relative of the tiny Silverfish insects found under rugs and in the cracks of houses. Unlike their tiny cousins the Kirakirafish are much darker in colouration and grow to far greater sizes. Primarily nocturnal, they inhabit dark secluded locations such as caves, venturing out to patrol their territory in search of sustenance before returning to their nests.

Anatomy and Biology

Black Kirakirafish grow to be 1-1.5m from ground to the upper curve of their carapace, and 3-4m from head to the tip of their long tapered tail. Their comparatively small heads are topped with long antennae which aid them in navigating their subterranean environments.The carapace starts as a dark copper tone, darkening as they grow, shifting to a black and purple sheen which is near invisible in the darkness of caves. They have 6 primary limbs with a further 4 which are used when traversing vertical surfaces. The end of their tail has a stinger containing a powerful paralytic agent which they use to incapacitate their prey.

Perception and Sensory

The small compound eyes are actually very poor and they rely heavily on the swift flickering of their antennae, hearing and smell to navigate their way. Black Kirakirafish are also very sensitive to light and will avoid direct sunlight at any cost.

Reproduction and Growth

Colonies of Black Kirakirafish will have 1 primary breeding female who will produce up to 75 eggs per season, with 3 seasons of laying per year. Many of these will not hatch and fewer still will reach any form of adulthood, however a colony can still be potentially into the 100’s including all the small juvenile stage larvae.

The growth rates of a Kirakirafish are very slow and it will take many years for one to reach the full size detailed above.

Habitat, Diet and Hunting

Due to their severe aversion to light, Kirakirafish live primarily in under ground locations. They have been known to be able to carve out extended tunnels over time to accommodate the increasing size of colonies. Whilst, Kirakirafish will venture outside, this is only ever at night. 

Kirakirafish are not commonly found in builtup areas and towns as there is simply not the space for them to survive whilst not being exposed to sunlight. On occasions where small infestations have been discovered in towns they are cleared out swiftly due to the risks these insects could pose. Mining communities will make regular patrol down lesser used mine shafts to ensure no infestations have moved in.

Kirakirafish have a theoretically omnivorous diet. While they will seek out prey in the form of mammals, smaller insects and occasionally fish as their primary form of sustenance they will also consume what greenery and mildew grows in amongst the dark rocks. It is also not uncommon for them to survive by consuming other members of their own colonies, which in no small part contributes to the reduced number of larvae reaching adulthood.

Whilst not what you would consider a particularly intelligent hunter, the Kirakirafish will often tail their prey using the cover of darkness and their surprisingly swift movements to slowly stalk their prey. They will try to trick or scare the prey into moving as close to the main colony as possible before immobilising them with their sting. Once paralysed the prey will be dragged or carried back to be consumed slowly.