Glittersprout

Over the course of several million years, the crystank flasprout found themselves in what is generally referred to as an evolutionary bottleneck. Their hosts, the crystank shells, and their partners, the crystank walkers, once thrived in the temperate-to-tropical regions across many beaches and rivers of Sagan IV, and in doing so did the crystank flasprouts flourish as well. However, due to various events, they were eventually restricted to their last stronghold in the form of the riparian regions of the Great Slarti River. The polar conditions severely reduced the populations of their hosts and, by extension, those of the crystank flasprouts as well. With the onset of changing global climate, their evolutionary story would have almost certainly ended here had it not been for their hosts managing to migrate. This, however, came with its own problems.

Crystank walkers and shells were changing. As the evolutionary clock progressed ever onwards, these two species were evolving, and doing so into a direction that didn't involve the crystank flasprouts. Population drift was the primary cause of this, alongside evolving defenses against predation and parasitism, which in the end made their pores no longer hospitable. As such, the crystank flasprouts needed to adapt as well or else go extinct. Their salvation came in selection for their spores.

Now much more airborne and far-reaching, the spores allowed the crystank flasprouts to find new hosts in the form of the crystal flora that flourish in Drake, and in turn led to their eventual evolution into the glittersprouts. Slightly smaller and more adapted to parasitism, their collection of cellular appendages - occasionally referred to as roots - made them well suited for latching onto the chitinous surfaces of the crystal flora and securing themselves. If they cannot locate a pore on the surface of the crystal from where their spore lands, they will instead secure themselves further by secreting enzymes that dissolve chitin surrounding themselves - enzymes that are similar to the chitinase once used by the unrelated chitinbanes - until they create a microscopic hole, while their cellular appendages wedge themselves into the soft slurry of chitin before it can harden. They will only further release these enzymes from time to time when in need of nutrients to fuel their photosynthesis, though those that live in/near pores are less likely to do so.

Their chemical-induced flashing has been put to a new use. With no hosts to protect, the glittersprouts instead use their capacity to produce minute amounts of light in order to protect themselves now. When they detect a threat, the chemicals flood their body and trigger a flash, which in turn causes nearby members to flash as well. While less effective during the day, at night this can produce a small but noticeable "flash" of light as numerous individuals begin to do so in response to grazing or similar threats. Not unlike various deep sea organisms, this flash has the potential in signaling the predators of their own predators and thus give them away.

Reproduction is much the same as it was in their lineage, though there is one notable change. While both sexes still look identical, and entire colonies still release theirs spores en masse to ensure that at least some survive, how they share their genetic material has now changed. As their cellular appendages burrow through chitinous shell of their host with the aid of their enzymes, they inevitably encounter those of another member. Should both be of opposite sexes, or one is already in contact with a member of opposite sex, they will share their genetic material between the males and females. Not long after, the females will spawn, and the spores, now carried by the wind, will have to rely on their numbers so that at least a few of them will find a new host to make their home on. Given the sheer abundance of crystal flora on Drake, though, this is not that difficult a task to accomplish. Glittersprouts can spawn like this several times in their year-long lifespans.