Coastal Nectarworm

With the evolution of the Bonegrove came a new species of nectarworm to accompany it. The Coastal Nectarworm has taken to the shoreline to feast on the new source of nectar. It originally arose from a group of young nectarworms that lived too close to the seashore. These larval nectarworms had to survive continuous exposure to an excess of salt, and had to adapt or die. This led to the coastal nectarworm developing some adaptations that allow it to maintain a normal amount of salt in its body. These include the development of 'salt pouches' in the segments near the back of its body, which are organs filled with cells with massive vacuoles. These cells will store brine. The sacs are capable of containing this hypersaline brine, keeping it from osmosing into the rest of the coastal nectarworm's body. This adaptation doubles as a defense, as the sheer amount of salt contained within the coastal nectarworm makes it lethal to eat in large amounts. Another adaptation to regulate the amount of salt it contains is to excrete the extra salt in its waste. This is its main way of doing away with salt. The coastal nectarworm has also developed aposematic coloration as a means of warning predators of its dangerously high salt content.

The coastal nectarworm's life cycle has changed little from its ancestor. The only major change is its mating grounds and larval diet. Instead of mating around oases, the coastal nectarworm mates in the depths of the bonegrove forests, where it is harder for predators to access them. Meanwhile, the larvae have taken to feeding on the sap and fruit of the low-growing plant species that the seashrog introduced, as their sudden introduction provided them with an uncontested food source.