Bouffant Knightworm

As balloon knightworms spread south into warmer parts of Hydro, they no longer needed insulation. However, they remained greatly dependent on their symbiote, which they still needed to keep their exoskeletal growth in check, to form bridges to cross streams and crevices, and to form balloons for dispersal. Therefore, they kept a mass of symbiotic mycostrum on the head between the antennae, piled up so that the fibers would be available for the antennae to guide and shape. From time to time, tendrils from the mycostrum will extend over the body to eat away at excess exoskeleton, but they usually remain in a towering blob that resembles a bouffant, lending the species its name: the bouffant knightworm.

In physical form, the bouffant knightworm has some minor changes from its ancestor. They've adopted a rosier color, the better to blend in among mauvecostrum, and their leg joints are more clearly articulated. They still move on their bellies, but they can push with their legs to help inch along, and the legs are useful for clinging and climbing. In addition, they've grown substantially, taking advantage of abundant mauvecostrum in their new, warmer environment. With their larger size, the adults rarely use the balloon form of their mycostrum, but juveniles still disperse by ballooning once they are old enough to live on their own. This has allowed them to cross into the north of Darwin, but they have been unable to continue further south, as they are ill-adapted for the densely forested conditions of the rainforest.

Bouffant knightworms rely on the symbiotic "bouffant mycostrum." This mycostrum comes in several forms: the symbiote that they carry around on their head, the nest that they live in, and a balloon used for reproductive purposes.

Bouffant knightworms are increasingly social: They thrive best when several share a nest, and usually there will be several nests connected to each other to form a larger community. These groups are flexible, as members may come and go, and new residents often arrive in the form of ballooning juveniles. They lack specialization or coordination, as well, but individual tasks benefit the community as a whole.

Their ancestor already cut flora into pieces to feed to the mycostrum, carrying the pieces within their symbiote. The "bouffant" atop their head is even more useful for this, as they can stuff it full of food, and the fibers will expand outward, bulging with their load. They'll return to the nest and use this to to fertilize the nest mycostrum and to feed their juveniles. They still use redcap mycostrum as fertilizer as well, being poisonous to themselves. This has the side benefit of making the nests less palatable to would-be grazers. They also work to keep the nests hydrated, as much of their range now covers areas with substantial dry seasons. Between rains, they'll go to streams or ponds and guide their symbiotic mycostrum into the water. Once the mycostrum is full, they return to the nest and disgorge its contents. Given the mycostrum's water-retention abilities, this will suffice in all but the worst droughts. Furthermore, bouffant knightworms regulate their mycostrum's reproduction. Juveniles will cut off a balloon when it is time to disperse, and adults will sometimes deposit bits of mycostrum in new areas, where they can grow into a new nest.

Putting this together, bouffant knightworms prefer to settle in areas with some nearby freshwater and away from shade, so that their nests can be in the sun. They encourage the growth of other species of mycostrum near their nests by taking care not to overeat them and by providing them with water when they wither. This ensures a steady food and fertilizer supply.

Like their relatives, bouffant knightworms have bodies with four segments, with a chitinous outer shell and a soft core, and they breathe through spiracles. They have a pair of antennae, which are partly shaped like combs, useful for guiding strands of mycostrum fiber, but the antennae also have sharp front sides, used for cutting up food.

They reproduce only after rainfall, when their nest of mycostrum is moist and waterlogged. If at least one male is nearby, females lay soft eggs on the nest. Any male may then come by and fertilize the egg, which will then harden. (Unfertilized eggs usually decompose and become fertilizer for the nest.) Juveniles stay in the nest for a few months, feeding off of nest mycostrum and any food that adults bring. They then find a balloon, growing from their nest, attach themselves to it, and fly away. On landing, the balloon will reform into their personal symbiote. Lucky individuals find a new nest to join. With even greater luck, some found a new nest.