Nektolixo
An unusual split from the Segmolixo is the Nektolixo, a first step towards a more pelagic lifestyle. A few segments have already begun to press together, namely the 4th and 5th pair of fins, which have created a crude anal fin. The dorsal fins have also appeared to move back towards the creature’s tail and now possess the musculature to fold back if needed. But perhaps the most interesting alterations were those that indicate a new, more predatory lifestyle: It has gained fleshy bumps on its tentacles that help it grip prey, a sharper beak more suited for slicing and crushing, keener senses, more prominent countershading, and a more muscular tail fit for chasing prey in short bursts. It also has greater intelligence, helping it distinguish food from foe. Alongside its benthic clambering and scavenging, the Nektolixo will occasionally swim into the water column, mainly at deeper depths during nightfall, preying on things like Asterzoans, other Carpozoans, and especially the Coral Cish. A crude social behavior has even formed in the hunting of these schooling creatures, in which Nektolixo gather and begin to try and herd the school into as tight a ball as possible. This tactic is far from foolproof, however, and luckily for the Cish they only eat around 3-5 before leaving. While seemingly slow, they will often bolt towards a prey item the moment they spot them, sometimes with enough force to rocket themselves out of the water should they be close to the surface. When on the sea floor, they behave much akin to their ancestors, though they’ll sometimes eat Binucleid worms or other benthos with that same burst of speed. When it comes to reproduction, they aren’t all too different from their ancestor. Males have brighter photophores than females, said photophores can be turned on or off, and they mate multiple times over several weeks, with the female laying around 3000 eggs every few days.