The Slurpfish

Order: Remipinniformes

Family: Remipinnidae

Genus: Remipinnia

One the great carpgrass prairies, one of the most common species of pelagys are a group called the remipinnids, or the paddlefins which are distinguished by their large dorsal and ventral fins, which are used in movement. One of the most common remipinnids are the slurpfish — probably the most prevalent grazing pelagys in the seas of Alladoras, and are one of the most iconic small grazers in the seas.

Slurpfish are often seen in large shoals of up to 150 individuals swimming over the carpgrass, and it isn't rare to see at least four shoals of them pass by in a week, especially during the start of the carpgrass spawning season. Coloured greyish-blue, with bright blue eyes, their most distinguishable features are their large dorsal/ventral fins, which they use to swim in a method called 'median paired fin swimming', in which they use like oars, moving them in a distinct sculling motion to generate thrust, which they use to swim forwards, which gives them superb agility, using their flattened ophistomas as rudders in order to aid in steering. The pectoral fins also aid in steering, but are usually used as brakes, allowing to stop and change direction. Their small beaks are suited for consuming carpgrass leaves and bulbs and can niftily pick through the sediment and select bits of carpgrass soft enough for their small, beak-like mouths to chew and masticate.

Often seen following gallantees, the slurpfish, when feeding, spread out in massive shoals, covering a wide area rather quickly and consuming carpgrass. When they follow the gallantee, the larger herbivore's destructive feeding habits displace the nutritious bulbs and roots, which are soft enough for the slurpfish to consume, which they often do in large shoals, ensuring a mutual protection in numbers. While they spread out during feeding, the slurpfish often do so in a turn order, with some individuals still swimming out in the water column to scan the area for predators and potential threats while others leisurely consume carpgrass bulbs in the prairies. Due to the relatively small size of the carpgrass bulbs, slurpfish may spend multiple hours feeding, all the way until night, in which they start hiding in the carpgrass or rocks, using a specialised mucus which they naturally produce during the day, which they lace over rocks and crevices in order to conceal their scent, sleeping off throughout the night, avoiding such nocturnal predators such as the dog eels which typically rely on scent to find prey, in which the slurpfish sleeps without fear.

During the start of the year, sexually mature (1 year old) slurpfish start to exhibit major changes in behaviour and appearance. They start releasing large amounts of testosterone, making them highly aggressive, which quickly leads to fights to see who's the strongest, culminating in schools of males separating from females, and heading towards lagoons and sandbars, largely devoid of carpgrass. Another change they experience is not behavioural, but also physical, as their skin colour starts to drastically change, with their entire bodies turning a deep, vibrant shade of blue with light blue rings dotting their body. These vibrant markings seek to attract mates, with males performing 'leks' in wide sandbars or sandy lagoons, with groups of up to 30 males displaying for females in their own territory, with the largest males often securing the spot in the centre, with younger males closer to the outskirts of the 'lekking arena', which can be up to 8 metres in diameter. Females often enter these leks in order to find a suitable mate, with the male slurpfish often displaying their bright blue colours and fins in order to attract mates. Lekking provides an advantage towards females seeking suitable mates, and multiple males in the same area allows females to compare the males among themselves and pick out a suitable mate from the crowd. Males may resort to fighting and violence even to gain areas closer to the centre, and become highly aggressive towards outsiders, with even other, unrelated species who just happen to come by get warded off.

With their flashy and flamboyant colours, slurpfish males are some of the most vibrant pelagys in the sea, but after the mating season concludes, their testosterone levels go back down to normal levels, and start losing their vibrant colour to the usual blue-grey, which they keep for the rest of the year until the next mating season. Females will lay their eggs in deep pits and protect them until they hatch into baby pelagys, thus fostering the next generation.