Mud Finworm

The mud finworm split from its ancestor the bubbleweed sea finworm. It has returned to the river where it replaced its distant ancestor the finworm. It feeds only on the river bubbleweed. Its camouflage and 12 eyes give it an advantage over the finworm. It also has evolved 4 feelers on the end of its beak to feel around in the very muddiest waters.

It will prefer to eat the inferior leaves of the river bubbleweed and lay eggs under the upper ones. For this purpose, the back fins are longer and can move and curl its long extremities. It will stay upside down under the leaf and, with the back fins, hang and walk under the leaf, doing short steps and laying its eggs in clusters. When hatched, the offspring will be near to a secure place for hiding, doing short tours around the plant and going to surface to get air.

Like its ancestor its body very hydrodynamic. To swim fast, it will do fish-like movements and put its wings close to the body and joined over its back, moving them backward, and thus cutting the water like a blade. The wings are partially fused, improving the movement. When feeling threatened, they can swim really fast and go to surface, doing short glides over the water, opening the wings. The flight ability was lost, since their wings are thinker and heavier than before.