Flutterflies

Flutterflies are a species that show that something pretty can still be unpleasant, and are an adaptive predator to the island. Flutterflies are essentially a cross-species of flying spiders who cloak themselves in the bright attire of the local monarch species, with large tri-wings they beat about to make them move almost like hummingbirds.

Appearance

Flutterflies are a flying spider species the size of a jurassic wasp, consisting of a tri-bodied spider that has wings patterned like a monarch butterly that beat rapidly, creating a rainbow cascade in it's wake. Capable of hovering in place for extended periods, a flutterfly tends to curl it's legs up and over underneath it when flying underneath it's body. It's eyes float along in front of it on what seem to be antennae to better mimic the look of an insect. The Flutterfly does not spin webs, and tends to operate on it's own, prefering to be in trees where the bright leaves help hide it from predators or help it to lie in wait for food.

Physiology

The Flutterfly puts out a rich smelling phermones which smell to animals like blooming flowers, often leaving a trail of yellow behind it almost like wafting flora scent. It primarily eats larger insects, though it has been known to occasionally nab small birds when they are asleep. The Flutterfly passes itself off as a butterfly, using paralytic stingers to disable a prey and then take it away for consumption. The Flutterfly does not weave webs nor have a nest, tending to sleep in trees. They put out a rich smell and tend to be trackable by scent, and can be identified by their much larger than usual size. They lay eggs as the weather chills which hatch when the weather warms, but the spider itself tends not to survive the full year and they tend to in most cases pass along when the weather cools, each generation starting fresh in the spring.

Folklore

Flutterflies are a relatively recent species that has made it's appearance on the island, and while beautiful they are dangerous. Their venom has little effect over on the natives of the island, but is useful in helping the production of antivenins for some of the local species which are predatory, so some girls are known to catch them and remove their stingers to help with medical supplies. The yellow streaks they leave in the air and their seasonal nature and passing along over the winter has them associated with some minor rituals of each of the goddesses, but they are not strongly associated with any.

Note

They are not Myria, though Myria finds them particularly delicious and nutritious.