Guess that it’s the time of my own submission.
DESCRIPTION
Caecoreptus Purpurascens (Blind-Crawling Somewhat-Purple) is an arthropod-like organism found in the large subterranean cave systems of a rocky planet in the █ █ █ █ █ █ █ system. The said planet has an atmosphere too thin to support life on the surface, however a large network of caves in the surprisingly porous crust of the planet managed to obtain a far denser and chemically-rich gas composition, with many caves being flooded with water, creating a sort of an “underground ocean”. This environment has been hosting life for roughly █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ years now.
The specified organism, Caecoreptus Purpurascens, is notable for being the first known animal-like species to derive most of it’s food from sources above the water tables of the vast cave systems. An average specimen is roughly 8 centimeters long from tips of the mandibles to the edge of the tail. This species is closely related to a family of far larger, predatory organisms, which is not hard to tell due to the many predator-linked features of this species - the pair of limbs with sharp claws at the end of them and large mandibles with serrations still present on them. It’s thought that this species originated from a more generalist/omnivoreous branch of this family, which started to feed on the various chemosynthesizing organisms found around the caves. This specific species has gone to the extreme, as it most likely started using it’s claw-bearing limbs to start climbing the usually steep shores of the flooded caves to find new sources of food. In a few million years, the species has adapted far more to this lifestyle. The sensory tentacles present around it’s “head” have became longer and stronger to fight against the forces of gravity abovewater. The claws have been repurposed as hooks to secure the creature and pull it. Finally, the respiratory system no longer needs to be submerged in water to properly work, and while it still requires the air around these organisms to be high in moisture, it allows them to venture further into the dry surfaces than any other animal-like organism found on this planet to this point.