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| Cladogram for Xenoisoptera Click for larger view |
As some of you may know, I'm working on the sequel volume to The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head. At the end of v. 6 I was forced to leave a great big loose thread hanging, and while it was a logical end for the quest of Ki'shto'ba and Di'fa'kro'mi, Is'a'pai'a's Quest for the Golden Fungus wasn't finished. Now I'm getting close to publishing the sequel and I'm considering adding an appendix with the following material. However, as I've been revising the material, I've decided it's rather anticlimactical and I would rather let the book stand as a simple narrative. It's also probably lacking in sufficient expertise on my part to be convincing as a scientific document, although I'm rather proud of the taxonomy and the cladistic chart. So I'm going to publish this pseudo-scientific material here. I would love your opinions, either in comments or direct to me on Facebook or Google+ or by email or wherever. I would especially like to hear from those who have read the basic six volumes. Would you like to see this material at the end of v. 6? (Warning: the following may contain typos or inconsistencies, since I haven't fully edited it.)
Appendix A: Taxonomy, Phylogeny, and Cultural Development of Xenoisoptera
by Prf. Kaitrin
Oliva
The
evolutionary process of the Shshi peoples on the planet G. Gwidian was never significantly
interrupted by catastrophic extinctions, permitting several discrete species of
intelligent lifeforms to evolve in an orderly progression. These ILFs all belong to the suborder
Megalisoptera of the order Xenoisoptera (G. Gwidian).
Two additional
suborders have been proposed by the Taxonomy Board – Microisoptera, represented
by several species of rabbit-sized isopteroid NILFs (all weakly jawed
mandibulate nasutoids) existing in isolation on the southwest continent, and
Archaeoisoptera. Both represent important
evolutionary asides in the progression between what must have been an
Earth-sized proto-isopteroid (now extinct) and the present-day
Megalisoptera.
Archaeoisoptera has
been observed in a single holotype designated, called the z’ya’ge’ses’tze| (ancient cursed or evil ones) by the Yo’sho’zei
and encountered twice by Ki’shto’ba and its Companions during the Quest (see v.
2 The Storm-Wing and v. 4 Beneath the Mountain of Heavy Fear). A mountain reconnaissance team during one of
the later expeditions to G. Gwidian salvaged a carcass of A. giganticus. Genetic
evidence indicates it is either an atavism or a nearly extinct vestige of an
early branch on the isopteroid evolutionary tree. The evolution of the z’ya’ge’ses’tze| appears to have favored size and aggressiveness
over intelligence, vision, and speech; in this suborder the development of the
lobes of the xenoisopteroid brain designated the cerebrum sapiens and the lingual
ganglia appears to have been suspended at a primitive stage. Encountering such a creature might be
comparable to an Earther’s suddenly meeting up with a carnivorous
australopithecine twice as big as the near-extinct terrestrial primate called
the gorilla.
Megalisoptera is
distinguished from other suborders first of all by its size, which can range
from as small as 60 cm. in length in the Tender Subcaste of the Northern
Nasutes (the smallest species) to the large and heavily built Da’no’no Shshi
Warriors, which average about 130 to 140 cm.
Our giant hero, Ki’shto’ba, measured in at 153 cm. and Twa’sei probably
was something like 80 to 85. Archaeotermes probably grows to three meters,
twice Ki’shto’ba’s size.
Secondly,
Megalisoptera possesses unique double digits on their front claws, with joints
and musculature that allow their bearers to grasp objects and perform delicate
manipulations. They may lack an
opposable thumb, but they do not lack “manual” dexterity! By contrast, Microisoptera possesses
segmented but jointless single tarsi on all legs, and in Archaeotermes the forelegs are tipped with long, powerful, almost
crab-like pincers.
Thirdly, the brain of
Megalisoptera is evolved for reasoning, self-awareness, and language
capability; and the compound eyes and visual cortex of the Alate are unique
among all known insectoid visual structures.
All the isopteroids of
G. Gwidian possess the fontanelle that distinguishes higher terrestrial
termites, but the presence or absence of a functioning frontal gland is one of
the features that differentiate the families of Megalisoptera. In Xenomacrotermitidae, to which our Shum’za
and Da’no’no Shshi belong, the gland is vestigial in all but certain Worker Subcastes. By contrast, Warriors of the true nasute
family Xenonasutitermitidae (Sa’ti’a’i’a’s people) possess fully developed,
acid-spraying nasi, and the family Brevirostritermitidae (that is, termites
with short rostra) are nasutoids, having Warriors with mandibles as well as
frontal glands that expel varying types of defensive secretions.
Other distinctions
among the families involve feeding requirements, configuration of the gut,
length and shape of various body parts, etc.
I refer readers to Appendix B if they are interested in the details of
these traits.
I must confess that
the methodology employed to differentiate among families and species involves a
combination of hard science with hearsay.
The Shum’za have been well studied; the specimens acquired during the
late Prf. Griffen Gwidian’s first visit to the eponymous planet have been
picked over and analyzed ad nauseum. He was the first scientist to recognize and
describe the separate species that Di’fa’kro’mi and Ki’shto’ba represent. He originally gave the Shum’za (or
Little-Heads) the tentative name of Xenotermes
giganteus, but he was honored posthumously by having that species renamed Xenomacrotermes gwidiani.
Ki’shto’ba’s taxon has
been designated X. magnus. Prf. Jana Lindeman had a chance to inspect
the internal structure of this species when we were given permission to observe
the work of the Charnel Hall during my first visit to the fortress of
To’wak. (Shshi have an amazing knowledge
of their own internal anatomy, arising from their practice of dismembering and
consuming their dead). Prf. Lindeman’s
observations as well as DNA comparisons have confirmed a close phylogenetic
relationship between the peoples represented by Di’fa’kro’mi and Ki’shto’ba.
The inclusion of a
second genus (the Desert Shshi, Hesperotermes
siccus) in the same family as the Shum’za and the Da’no’no Shshi is more
problematical. To this point no scientific
team has ever made contact with this xenophobic people, so without DNA evidence
or any hands-on or even visual inspection we have to rely on the reportage of
Di’fa’kro’mi. He was a trustworthy
observer, but he never bothered to make a careful count of the number of his
hosts’ belly segments!
It is possible to
construct a strong case for placing H.
siccus in the same family as X.
magnus. Both display certain similar
external features, namely, basic mandible shape, a long antenna, a flattened
pronotal shield, the presence of similarly configured cerci, and the absence of
a developed nasus. However, there is an
argument to be made for placing the genus of the Desert Shshi in the southern
family Brevirostritermitidae. Mandible
configuration is similar to that of the Marchers and the loss of a functioning
nasus in the Warrior caste could be an environmental adaptation (to prevent
fluid loss).
Cultural phenomena in
themselves (such as the practice of cultivating Little Ones for their honeydew)
might indicate social contact between species but would have no direct bearing
on evolutionary relationships. However, the
religious beliefs and language of the Southern Nasutes and the Wei’gwai’mi
Shshi suggest a lengthy interaction between the two peoples. Di’fa’kro’mi’s observations (and I
interrogated him thoroughly on the subject) indicate that Wei’gwai’mi Shshi
speech is a dialect of the Southern Nasute sublanguage. The secretive desert religion, of which
little is known, may display characteristics that link it with cave worship
than with the religion of the sky. I
would personally favor classifying H.
siccus with Brevirostritermitidae until there is more conclusive scientific
evidence, but the Interplanetary Board on Cladistics and Taxonomy has seen fit
to insert it along with the flatlanders in Xenomacrotermitidae.
The family of
Xenonasutitermitidae (true nasutes) includes only one known species. Their Warriors possess stubby vestigial
mandibles and rely entirely on acid spray for defense. I was privileged to spend much time among
these Northern Nasutes during my third visit to G. Gwidian; they are a
peaceable and cooperative people and actually allowed Prf. Lindeman to dissect
one of their dead amid hovering Charnel Workers and under the watchful observation
of Alates. Therefore, our knowledge of
this species is quite complete. I recommended to the Board that the
Northern Nasutes be named Longirostritermes
lindemani, but they elected to
honor me by conferring the name of Longirostritermes
olivai.
The family Brevirostritermitidae
(the “short-beaked” mandibulate nasutoids of the south) encompasses two genera
and three species, one of which includes three subspecies. The Northern Nasutes warned me against
visiting either the Marchers or the Sta’ein’zei, and so we do not have indisputable
DNA proof of the position of the Shkei’akh’zei on the phylogenetic tree, even
as is the case with the Desert Shshi.
However, the full development of the nasus and several other anatomical
features (several of my informants happened to remember the number of their
belly segments) convincingly link them with the southern nasutoids (a
suggestion that would probably kindle considerable wrath in the True Believers
on both sides of the dispute!)
I did, however, spend
time among the At’ein’zei and I also visited the Gwai’sho’zei, where I was
privileged to encounter some Yo’sho’zei individuals. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity for
any hands-on examination of any of these peoples, but our scientists were able
to acquire dung samples and duff from fortress floors, ensuring a reasonably
accurate DNA evaluation. This,
supplemented with visual, cultural, and linguistic observations, has enabled us
to credibly determine taxonomic relationships among the southern peoples. There is no doubt that the At’ein’zei and the
Sta’ein’zei are the same species. They
speak a mutually comprehensible language and are able to interbreed but diverge
considerably in culture because of their long separation by geographical
features. As concerns Gwai’sho’zei and
Yo’sho’zei, their speech is nearly identical and their cultures are closely
entwined. They are considered subspecies
of Longignathotermes maritimis, the
long-jawed, coastal people, and might have the ability to interbreed if a taboo
against such a practice had not arisen in earlier times.
I never made contact
with the third subspecies of L. maritimis,
the Yus’thaim’zei (People of the Western Islands). When Prf. Allen Whitfield flew to the End of
the World in 249, he never landed at any of the island fortresses of the
Yus’thaim’zei, and all of the Island Warriors who had joined Is’a’pai’a’s
expedition had died. However, he was
able to take samples from Nei’ga’ta’tzi, the Yus’thaim’zei Mother of
Mor’gwai’chet (she was eager to help him advance his “knowledge-magic,” in
fact). He also took DNA from
Lo’swai’pai’zei, who is a hybrid of the Gwai’sho’zei and the
Yus’thaim’zei. It has been established
beyond doubt that these two peoples are subspecies of L. maritimis.
I should mention that
flyovers in the delta regions of the river Lo’krin’zei yielded glimpses of a
variant species of long-jawed Shshi whose Warriors clearly possessed horns on
their heads (reminiscent of the mysterious creature who did battle with
Lug’tei’a in the Valley of Thorns).
However, we never landed in that area and have no information on that
people.
The Order of Megalisoptera
appears to have evolved from a single prototype that developed in the period
when tectonic processes were beginning to drag the southern and northern
continents apart. More investigation is
needed to determine exactly where this took place, but it is likely to have
occurred in the southern areas of the nascent northern continent and possibly
east of the present day Southern Sea.
DNA analysis indicates that
the proto-isopteroids were probably true nasutes that developed a mandibulate
nasutoid branch at a time when the planet had a wetter climate. Both branches began to diffuse to the north,
east, and west, adapting to their environment as they went. It is unknown if they ever spread into the
southern continent; if so, they must have become extinct in that increasingly
arid region.
As the plains regions lost
their forests and dried into savanna, some of the nasutoids evolved into the
Xenomacrotermitidae, losing their intestinal protozoa and the defensive
function of their frontal glands. With
lignin becoming scarce in that ecosystem, they became fungus farmers like some
of the terrestrial counterparts, supplementing their diet with cytoplasmic
material such as flowers, fruits, and leaves, and by the “honey dew” produced
by their domesticated formicidiforms.
They are very well adapted to their environment and today are the most
numerous and widespread of the species.
The true nasutes
managed to survive with the fewest adaptations by keeping to themselves and
avoiding conflict with their neighbors.
They have retained their intestinal parasites and are perhaps 98%
lignivorous, never adopting fungus farming, although they will occasionally
consume some cytoplasmic foods. The nasutoids,
on the other hand, kept their protozoa and remained dependent on lignin as a
primary food source, while increasing their survival chances by becoming
omnivorous and both farming and gathering fungus, fruits, and leaves. As a group they are the most warlike of the
different species, each of which evolved weapons-grade nasi with specialized
functions.
Archaeotermes giganticus is apparently fully carnivorous. None of the advanced species evolved
carnivory, even though they supplement their protein intake by consuming their
dead. However, the Desert Shshi (Hesperotermes siccus) are known to eat
the flesh of reptiles, most likely developing this trait out of necessity in
their hostile ecosystem. And the
Intercaste Thel’tav’a, who was reared by A.
giganticus, flourished on a flesh diet and taught Za’dut to like
shellfish. This is evidence that the
Shshi are highly adaptable to the environments in which they find themselves.
As both the nasutes and nasutoids followed the
shrinking forests northward and westward, they were cut off from the south by
the rise in sea level that produced the Southern Sea perhaps 100,000 years
ago. The migrants became more and more
densely packed into the forested areas, with nowhere to expand except into the
cold uplands. Hence they evolved an
increased tolerance for both high altitudes and cold weather, with a lower
“chill-coma” point than their flatland cousins.
Inbreeding contributed
to the preservation of mutations and so to a rapid differentiation of
species. The southern nasutoids in
particular developed a xenophobic temperament and a secretive, often bellicose
culture. By contrast, the denizens of
the open plains developed the custom of roaming far afield in the search for
fertile alates and habitable land, thus discouraging the perpetuation of
eccentric traits.
The true nasutes
probably migrated from the south at a very early time, retaining their identity
even as they were continually pushed farther and farther north by subsequent
waves of migration. Before the forests
receded to their present limits, the Northern Nasutes must have ranged widely
over the plains, staying in contact with their flatland kin longer than did the
nasutoids. The Shshi’s oral history
fades into myth in a span of years not much longer than the two-antennae count
of the Shum’za, which is thirty-six.
However, my comparative studies of Shshi languages, religion, and
folklore indicate that the tribes of Di’fa’kro’mi and Sa’ti’a’i’a share more
common cultural ground than either does with the mandibulate nasutoids. The Creation Myths of the Little Heads and
the Northern Nasutes are quite similar.
It was the
prototypical Marchers who undoubtedly followed closely on the tails of the true
nasutes as they moved northward. They
speak a dialect that is closely related to the language of their Northern
Nasute kin, reinforcing my theory that they spent much of their history in
contact with the Shrin’ok Da’vra, or even living intermingled with them. The loss of forestation and the pressure of
continuing migration finally squeezed both the Northern Nasutes and the
Shkei’akh’zei into their present restricted homelands.
From a genetic
standpoint, the Northern Nasutes are the oldest species, preserving more archetypal
DNA than any of the other peoples.
However, the language of the Yo’sho’zei (whose name appropriately enough
means the “Ancient Ones”) appears to have remained closest to the unified ancestral
speech. The many myths of the Yo’sho’zei
are especially complex and diverse, with a dark and pessimistic quality that is
rare among the plains dwellers. Perhaps
this preservation of root forms derives from living for centuries separate from
the rest of the Shshi population.
Although the myths of
every people may incorporate demons and other types of spiritual entities, all
species are monotheistic and worship a nameless mother goddess. She is recognized as a sky-goddess among the
plains dwellers and the Northern and Marcher Nasutes and as a ground-dwelling
deity among the Shrin’ok Da’wai, who inhabit the regions south of the Valley of
Thorns. We know very little about the
goddess of the Desert Shshi, but she appears to be much more abstract and
universalized. Among the three
subspecies of Longignathotermes maritimis (known collectively to the
rest of the Shi world as the Shei’kwai, or people living Beyond the Mountains)
there seems to be a dichotomy in the mother goddess. They worship both a Sea Mother but also a
Cave Mother (all known as ta’ta’wa’tze|
(literally, the very female not-created one).
The Mother’s King,
which is almost nonexistent among Di’fa’kro’mi’s people and plays only a
limited role among the Da’no’no Shshi, assumes a more significant role in the
South. Among the Shrin’ok Da’wai and the
Shei’kwai, the Mother may have many Kings, some of whom she devours and some of
whom she sets over particular aspects of her creation; thus we have the King of
the Dead (Wei’tei’no’hna) , the Sea King (called Guoi’me’uh’hma’no’
tze in the maritime language), the enchanted King called Kya’hma’no’tze (First
King) in the tale of Ju’a’a’mu’a Spear-Puller, etc.
The ur-nature of the principal
deities is purely speculative, but one would expect an ILF evolving from mostly
blind, ground-breeding creatures of the darkness to worship forces that
developed in the ground. Perhaps
migration into regions of vast open skies and the growing ascendancy of the
eyed Alate Caste among the plains dwellers played roles in turning the concept
of deity outward and upward. And for
peoples who live on the seacoast and have learned to build boats and navigate
the oceans, viewing the Great Water as a source of divine creation makes
considerable sense.
In the light of all
that we know, no one can deny that the Shshi constitute an intelligent
lifeform, however primitive in technology or “non-human” in form and
behavior. Evolutionary and cultural
biases predispose Earthers to accept primatoid peoples like the Te Quornaz, the
Morlasa, or the Chu-sneians (green hair notwithstanding!) as closer to ourselves. And our affection for avians makes us
consider a human-sized eagle skilled in oral speech more acceptable than a
“repulsive” giant bug that can reason, suffer, and love but not communicate in
a familiar way. Let us hope that the
works bequeathed to us by Di’fa’kro’mi the Remembrancer in the Earth-year 242
(old cal. 2997) will deepen our perceptions and help us to accept with more
humility the awesome diversity of the universe.
Appendix B: Outline of Taxonomy, Order Xenoisoptera (G. Gwidian)
[Note: In thirtieth century parlance, if the name of
a terrestrial taxon is duplicated for an extraterrestrial organism, the prefix xeno- is applied. When an Order has been identified on more
than one extraterrestrial planet, the name of the planet is parenthetically
affixed. The designation of the “race”
in the Shum’za language and its translation into Inj appears in parentheses
following each species name.]
Suborders
Archaeoisoptera: one species, Archaeotermes giganticus, identified from a single holotype.
Microisoptera: five tentatively identified species on the
Southwest Continent
Megalisoptera: three families, seven identified species. Distinguished by its size (taking all Castes
into consideration, individuals range between 65 and 150 cm.); double-clawed
front tarsi jointed for grasping; the presence of a uniquely efficient compound
eye in the Alates; and a large, highly evolved brain.
Families and Species of the Suborder Megalisoptera
I. Xenomacrotermitidae
(non-lignivorous and primarily fungivorous, lacking wood-digesting intestinal
flagellates; frontal gland in soldiers vestigial and embedded; pronotal shield
flattened; labrum broad and triangular with rounded tip; antenna at least 18
segments; hindgut short and not coiled; 11 abdominal segments; front tarsi have
4 jointed segments; labial palps, 3 segments; maxillary palps, 6 segments)
A.
Xenomacrotermes gwidiani
(Shum’za [Little-Heads])
(soldier mandibles moderately
elongate, sickle-shaped and crossing in dorsalview,
nearly edentate, snapping; 18
antenna segments; cerci lacking)
B. Xenomacrotermes
magnus (Da’no’no [Very Large] Shshi)
(soldier mandibles short, slightly
bowed upward and parallel, one basal crenation,
biting or slicing; 18 antenna
segments; cerci present, 1 segment)
C. Hesperotermes siccus [i.e. western, dry]
(Wei’gwai’mi [Desert] Shshi) [disputed
taxon]
(adaptationally carnivorous; soldier
mandibles short, slightly bowed upward and
parallel, large marginal teeth, biting or
slicing; slender antenna, 20 segments;
cerci present, 1 segment; frontal gland
vestigial in soldiers with visible pore, no
nasus; gut conformation and number of
belly segments undetermined)
II. Xenonasutitermitidae
(95% lignivorous, possessing wood-digesting flagellates; true nasute with
drawn-out tubular nasus and acid-producing frontal gland; soldier mandibles
reduced to stubs; thorax attenuated in relation to abdomen, with narrowed
pronotal shield; labrum narrowed and crenate; 15 antenna segments; hindgut long
and coiled; 12 abdominal segments; front tarsi has 3 jointed segments;
maxillary palps, 5 segments; cerci lacking)
A. Longirostritermes
olivai [i.e., long beaked] (Shrin’ok Da’vra [Northern
Nasutes])
III. Brevirostritermitidae (natively
lignivorous, but adaptationally herbivorous; presence or absence of
wood-digesting flagellates undetermined; mandibulate nasutoid with cone-shaped
rostrum, pointed or blunt; thorax attenuated in relation to abdomen, with
pronotal shield strongly curled upward; labrum narrowed and apical; 15 or fewer
antennae segments; gut configuration undetermined; 12 abdominal segments; front
tarsi has 3 jointed segments; maxillary palps, 5 segments; cerci lacking or
vestigial)
A. Brevignathotermes
tenax [i.e., short-jawed, sticky] (Shrin’ok Kei’akh
[Marcher
Nasutes])
(soldier
mandibles short, relatively straight and parallel, two molar processes on
each
mandible; narrowed pronotal shield; 15 antenna segments; moderately
pointed,
cone-shaped nasus and frontal gland expelling sticky chemical; cerci
lacking)
B. Longignathotermes
cruciform [i.e., long-jawed, crossing] (Shrin’ok Da’wai
[Southern
Nasutes])
(soldier mandibles elongate, relatively straight and
acutely cruciform, may taper
and/or be slightly hooked or S-shaped; pronotal shield of
reduced size; 15 antenna
segments; sharply pointed nasus and frontal gland
expelling a gaseous poison;
cerci lacking)
C. Longignathotermes
maritimis [i.e., long-jawed; coastal] (Shei’kwai [Beyond
the
Mountains])
(soldier
mandibles highly elongate, edentate; pronotum has upturned shield
abutting the
head; 10 antenna segments, with pedicel extended; bluntly pointed
nasus with
acid-producing frontal gland; vestigial cerci)
i. Subspecies Longignathotermes maritimis rectus [i.e., straight] (Gwai’sho’zei
[Water
People])
(soldier
mandibles straight or slightly bowed downward in lateral view)
ii. Subspecies Longignathotermes
maritimis aduncus [i.e. hooked]
(Yo’sho’zei
[Ancient People])
(soldier
mandibles twisted and crossed, sharply bowed downward in lateral
view;
abdomen marked with a latitudinal stripe)
iii. Subspecies Longignathotermes maritimis Hesperus [i.e. western]
(Yus’thaim’zei
[People of the Western Islands])
(soldier
mandibles straight and moderately bowed downward in lateral view;
shorter
than Gwai’sho’zei mandibles)
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