Buhmungus Infectoids

Buhmungus Infectoid split from its ancestor, the Disturbed Infectoid, and rapidly diversified across the globe. They can be found in any environment with moisture, from the bottoms of oceans to the damp soil of mountain springs, feeding off microbes. The various species range in size from microscopic to up to 1 cm in a few rare cases.

The colony structure is very similar to their ancestor. Their surface is shaggy with cirri, lengths of microtubules and cell membrane fused together into structures larger than cilia that act in unison reminiscent of structures found on Earth Ctenophores, which are beaten to move through the environment. Their anterior is open to sift in prey items smaller than themselves. Their inside is a hollow cavity lined with digestive cells that semi-freely extend in from the walls to lyse prey items and absorb their cytoplasm and materials as food. These cells will work together in order to kill larger prey items and share in the spoils. Material is distributed between colony members via dendrite-like appendages that extend throughout the collection. Their outer surface is covered in a second membrane called a shroud membrane held in place by anchor chains of saccharides and microtubules. This layer is dotted with glycolipids and other metabolic tags functioning to disguise the Infectoid identity and trick observers into registering them as something less dangerous. The posterior end of the colony gradually sloughs off dormant spores wrapped in a layer of shroud membrane.

The spore sits in its environment in dormancy, appearing to be the tiny remains of something once living based off its shroud membrane, until stumbled upon by another organism. The intermembrane space between the shroud membrane and the true cell membrane is filled with lysosomes. Once discovered by a hungry microbe the spore is devoured, and the shroud membrane will take damage. This triggers the release of lysosomes into the attacking microbe which promptly rips apart its insides. During the chaos a protective vacuole from the spore quickly latches onto the nuclear membrane of the attacking microbe, if unicellular, and engulfs it. Once inside the prison vacuole the nucleus is forced into a dormant state while the Buhmungus Infectoid gets to work assimilating the shredded cytoplasm into a new body.

The initial cell membrane once belonging to what is now the prisoner nucleus becomes the new shroud membrane. The active Infectoid cell inside draws in cytoplasm, and begins forming large pores along it's surface for ease of traverse between the inner cell and the intermembrane space for particles, ribosomes, and microtubules. Specialized proteins are used to skim through the prisoner nucleus for sequences necessary for the formation of species specific surface particles such as glycolipids. This information is transcribed by Infectoid proteins and the RNA translated, if necessary, by Infectoid ribosomes. All resulting compounds, particles, and processing, is restricted to marked vacuoles and escorted along microtubules to the intermembrane space where they are eventually united with the shroud membrane to perform their identification function.

During mitosis both the Infectoid nucleus and prisoner nucleus are replicated. The daughter cells divide inside the shroud membrane, which is expanded to accommodate the new cargo. If there isn't enough cytoplasm in order to form the basic structure for the active capture of prey then immature Buhmungus Infectoid will repeat the bait-and-switch process utilizing the new shroud membrane. However rather than capturing a new prisoner nucleus the assailant simply is destroyed entirely and devoured from the inside. The original prisoner nucleus is retained and any damage done to the shroud membrane during the attack is repaired using it.

After one or two of these events the Buhmungus Infectoid will have enough mass to form their mature shape. The cells in the cluster will differentiate into their specialized roles. Branching tubes will gently pass through the intercellular spaces to maintain supply chains to those cells no longer capable of obtaining food for themselves. Just under the surface of the posterior end the cells will specialize in the formation of spores. Mother cells will replicate their nucleus, without replicating the prisoner nucleus, and bud off a daughter which passes into the intermembrane space and pushes out to become engulfed in the shroud membrane and separate into the world.

When a spore is eaten by something multicellular, whether a filter feeder or planktonic predator, it can be a real problem. Most often the spore simply perishes, or if it's lucky the shroud membrane allows it to pass through digestion or even get coughed up with minimal damage. However, sometimes just the right food processing in the mouth or esophageal tube of a predator results in cascading their infection response. This results in rupturing through some epithelial cell of their attacker and converting it into a host body. Their process is very much the same as if they were going through their standard life cycle, however they cannot bait in any new attackers. Rather, they are passively fed alongside other epithelial cells by their host. This sustenance does allow them to multiply, though it stunts their lifecycle as the medium is not adequate for maturing into their adult colonial form. If the host is small enough the infection may overwhelm it and the Buhmungus Infectoid will be able to become free to mature. If the host is large then it's a dead end and the Buhmungus Infectoid will remain in its tissue, immature and unable to reproduce, until one of them dies.

If a spore is captured by a fellow Buhmungus Infectoid then a curious thing happens. The spore is initially attacked, its shroud membrane being destroyed like any other prey. This, however, releases its lysosomes which are marked as belonging to the species. Because both participants are of the same species safety measures to prevent self digestion stops all lysosome activity. The cell membrane of the spore is exposed to be recognized, it is held stuck to the wall of the digestive cavity and a tube is formed through the extracellular space toward the posterior end of the colony from its point of contact. The spore is hoisted through this, its membrane dotted and augmented for reception once reaching it's destination. Upon coming in contact with one of the many budding reproductive cells the tags placed on the spore are used to cut its membrane open and allow the reproductive cell to take on it's nucleus. After this both Infectoid nuclei will undergo meiosis and nuclear exchange, with both producing daughter nuclei for budding.