Petrosca

Petrosca is a Neopteron.

Physiology
Petrosca is a fairly large Neopteron that resembles some kind of fly with a beige-colored exoskeleton. It has large, dark gray compounds eyes that occupy most of its hairy, relatively small head, and also has a pair of short antennae. The thorax is large and bulbous compared to the rest of its body. A single pair of veiny, transparent wings and six spindly limbs emerge from the thorax. Each leg is tipped with a pair of claws. The abdomen is not as large as the thorax but is noticeably elongated and segmented.

Abilities
Petrosca produces a foul-smelling fluid which it spits at predators to protect itself.

Taxonomy

 * Order: Diptera
 * Suborder: Brachycera
 * Infraorder: Muscomorpha
 * Superfamily: Ephydroidea
 * Family: Petrosca

Habitat Range
Petrosca is native to the Tarred Craters.

Ecological Niche
Petrosca is low in the food chain and can be preyed upon by many predators like Crambaldon and Phaltarus. It can feed on smaller prey, although it is usually seen feeding on the corpses of creatures that fell into the tar pit. Petrosca is primarily a scavenger and usually eats from carcasses, picking off decaying flesh from the bones.

Biological Adaptations
Thanks to its large compound eyes, Petrosca has excellent vision. It is able to see a predator approaching from a distance, and then escape before it can even get close. It is also capable of great maneuverability during flight due to the presence of halters, a pair of small club-shaped organs behind its wings that provide balance. Petrosca possesses a flexible proboscis that it uses to eat. It spits up digestive enzymes on whatever it wants to eat, then sucks up the partially digested food. Because Petrosca usually obtains its food from the tar pits, it ends up consuming a large amount of tar while it eats. Its body processes the tar and turns into a brown fluid with a repulsive odor. Petrosca is known to regurgitate this fluid when it feels threatened to ward off whatever threatened it.

Behavior
Petrosca is a simple yet curious creature that responds to any stimulus it detects. A female Petrosca will lay her eggs in the tar pits, meaning the larvae actually develop inside the tar, feeding on any creature(s) that falls into the pits. The larvae eventually travel onto land to pupate, and then emerge as winged adults.