1. Glasswing Strider Ontological Status: Realistic Speculation Origin Type: Terrestrial Evolutionary Offshoot (descended from desert-dwelling arthropods) Morphophysiological Basis: Symmetry: Bilateral Skeleton: Silica-reinforced exoskeleton Tissues: Chitin–silica composite for heat reflection Ecological Niche: Specialist Predator (targets desert insects and small lizards) Reproductive Mode: Sexual, oviparous with desiccation-resistant eggs Sensory Modalities: Infrared vision for detecting heat at night Acute vibrational sensing through sand Locomotion: Cursorial (long springing legs for crossing hot sand rapidly) Energy Acquisition: Heterotrophy Behavioral Complexity: Simple learned behavior, cooperative hunting in pairs Relationships: preys_on desert beetles and lizards; is_prey_of aerial raptors See more