Greenbelly Shellworm

The greenbelly shellworm split from its ancestor the flood shellworm. It has gone deeper into the caves until it reached the water table. There there was an abundance of lithoamebas it could eat. Like its ancestor it uses its belly hairs to eat but it now has developed a green mucus which helps it digest microbes. The sticky mucus captures the microbes so all it has to do is rub its belly on colonies of lithomebas which are feeding on the limestone.

It has gotten larger and its legs are stronger. Its smelling antennae now have become a large cluster of bubble nodes. This allows it to smell feces or decaying matter from farther away, which they also eat. Their back feelers have also grown the digesting hairs so it can scoop larger organic matter against its belly.

While they cannot tuck their legs in their shell anymore they can stay dormant when there is less food. Their pigments are lighter since they live in complete darkness and no longer need it for protection against sunlight. Since they are already blind they depend upon smell and touch to get around. They are not very fast and take their time feeding. They can breathe both in and out of water by getting oxygen through the pores of their skin. They lay mucus egg sacs which stick to the limestone.