Name: Aruserutasu

Pronunciation: AIR-oo-SAIR-oo-TAH-soo

Latin Name: Diptera cornitexesset – "two-winged shielded horn"

Element: none

Weakness: Fire

Family: Neopterons

Class: Stealth class

Threat Level: Moderate

Physical Description: The recently discovered Aruserutasu is definitely one of the more unusual monsters in the known world. He resembles, more or less, a giant beetle. His head is small, with two compound eyes and a pair of sharp mandibles covering up most of it. He has six limbs – four of which are used for walking and perching, while two are long and mantis-like, and used for grabbing and slashing. His abdomen is large and round, and his thorax features a huge, shield-like horn that projects well beyond his head. The exoskeleton is a glossy, dark green color. He spends most of its time in the air, hovering on two buzzing wings.

All Aruserutasus are male. The females are much bigger and are known as Generu Serutasu.

Habitat: Aruserutasu is a monster that inhabits the mostly unknown and very mysterious Nameless region. I still remember getting the notification that this monster had been discovered – how excited I was! Thanks to almost nonstop missions into the Nameless by us researchers, we now know quite a bit about him as well as the monsters that inhabit it.

For example, we know that Aruserutasus are found naturally in three subregions – the Ruins Field, the Primeval Forest, and Heavenly Mountain. They seem to prefer these temperate areas, where food is plentiful and the climate isn't too severe, over the more extreme subregions to be found in the Nameless.

This monster isn't a wanderer, but isn't very territorial – in fact, he doesn't hold a territory of his own. Instead, he buzzes around the fringes of other monsters' territories, scavenging what he can and fleeing if the monster in question shows up.

Diet: The Aruserutasu, despite his large size, isn't normally an active hunter. Instead, he tends to subsist mostly on carrion, usually herbivores killed by predators smaller than him, such as Velocipreys or Jaggis. When he sees that a kill has been made, he will chase away any predators currently on or near the carcass before eating his fill.

However, if there is no carrion around, Aruserutasus will hunt down any monster smaller than him. The Neopterons' favorite prey are Kelbi, since they are small, numerous, and easy to catch. But their diet isn't limited to just Kelbi – they will pick off Velocipreys, Felynes, and even humans.

On the food chain, Aruserutasu occupies a lower niche. He often competes with predators of similar size, such as the Velocidrome (especially since the Aruserutasu preys on its Velociprey minions) and the Kechawacha. He must also avoid the female Generu Serutasus, which are the biggest threat to his life.

Biological Adaptations: Despite being a smaller, less powerful monster, the Aruserutasu is still a very intriguing creature with many unique traits that set it apart from other Neopterons.

First and foremost, we have the head. The head of the Aruserutasu is small and often missed at first glance. A pair of compound eyes dominates this cranium – because these are relatively large and allow for an extremely wide range of vision, the Aruserutasu can see almost all around him without even having to turn his head. It is thought that a large part of this monster's brain is dedicated to processing all of the visual information he receives through these amazing eyes.

As well, the Aruserutasu has a powerful pair of sharp mandibles that act somewhat like a combination of pincers and scissors. These jaws can easily slice through flesh, allowing the Aruserutasu to chop up its prey into manageable chunks. He possesses a tiny mouth between these mandibles that enables the ingestion of food. What's more, the mandibles can be used like tweezers to pick up and hold various objects.

The most easily recognizable feature of the Aruserutasu is the huge canopy that extends well beyond his head. This crest is long, wide, and shield-like, with a variety of uses. One use would be to intimidate predators, as the canopy is very large and possesses a bright orange tip, which contrasts immensely with the rest of the canopy's dark green color. Another use for the Aruserutasu's crest would be for flying – its shape greatly increases the Neopteron's aerodynamic prowess when in flight, allowing for ever greater speed. Additionally, the Aruserutasu uses his canopy as a weapon, by tucking in his limbs and blasting forward, attempting to skewer his enemy with the tip.

The Aruserutasu can also use his brightly colored, mantis-like forearms to attack. The inner edges of these limbs are lined with sharp spikes, which not only makes them deadlier, but also allows him to get a better grip on large prey. As well, the ends of the Aruserutasu's forearms possess wickedly hooked tips to further this iron grip. A single swipe of these limbs can send a small monster flying, often with fatal injuries.

These Neopterons possess incredibly strong wings made of chitin, similar to their distant insect cousins. By vibrating and angling these wings at phenomenal rates, Aruserutasus are able to fly, hover, and perform complicated aerobatic maneuvers in mid-air. Due to this constant vibration, the wings also emit a constant, whining buzz that can induce headaches if you are exposed to the sound for long enough.

The other four limbs of the Aruserutasu are infrequently used – this Neopteron rarely touches the ground, preferring to stay high in the air where few enemies can reach him. However, they are also very strong and agile. When the Aruserutasu does land, he can crawl across the landscape at steady yet shocking speeds. These limbs possess small, hooked claws at their tips, allowing this monster to clamber up walls and even across ceilings with minimal effort. They also play an invaluable role in clinging to larger monsters – this is the Aruserutasu's most effective, and annoying, tactic for chasing off predators.

The exoskeleton of this monster, as with most Neopterons, is super-tough and flexible, but relatively thin. It takes much effort to be able to cut through this armor, but anything that can cut through it will almost certainly slay the Aruserutasu in question. His innards are incredibly soft and vulnerable, hence the need for a tough exoskeleton. The Aruserutasu's 'weak spot' – that is, where his shell is at its softest – is the bottom of his abdomen.

Speaking of which, the abdomen is the final part of the Aruserutasu's body, in addition to the head and thorax. It contains most of the Aruserutasu's organs, which is why this particular spot is considered so vulnerable. It is very large and round, making it an easy target for most monsters. Luckily, few predators can reach the Aruserutasu's abdomen, as he is usually circling them tauntingly from the air.

In addition, the Aruserutasu's abdomen contains a pair of mucus glands that secrete a slightly acidic liquid. By pumping these glands, he can shoot globs of this special mucus at any threat, which is usually enough to deter most enemies. Strangely, the mucus seems to increase in potency when an Aruserutasu is affected by a Generu Serutasu.

Behavior: Aruserutasus are normally quite passive. Being so low on the food chain, these monsters cannot afford to be aggressive or territorial. Instead, they usually choose to flee when faced with another monster, often excreting acidic mucus to distract it so they can get away safely.

Fleeing can vary in its degree of difficulty for the Aruserutasu. If his foe is flightless, fleeing is as simple as revving up his wings and streaking away across the yonder. However, flying monsters can still give chase when the Aruserutasu flies away – and to make matters worse, winged monsters in the Nameless tend to be the larger and more powerful ones. This is when Aruserutasu brings his astounding aeronautical agility into play, swooping and diving and twisting across the landscape, trying to lose his pursuer by turning the relatively simple art of flying into a complex obstacle course. More often than not, the pursuing monster will give up and leave him in peace.

When angry or hungry, however, Aruserutasus tend to be rather touchy, picking fights with other monsters and terrorizing those in the immediate vicinity. Even in this state of irritation, though, they still exercise common sense and make themselves scarce when a larger monster shows up.

Worse still is an Aruserutasu that has been affected by a Generu Serutasu's pheromones. These particular individuals are aggressive to the point of being almost suicidal. You can tell if an Aruserutasu has been affected in such a way by their eerily glowing eyes and distinctive foul smell. They are most commonly encountered in the Nameless during springtime – which is their mating season – although they can certainly be found at any time of the year.

Aruserutasus, being closely related to insects, are one of the least intelligent monsters in the known world. Their brains are hardly advanced and rather small – a large portion of their mind is devoted to interpreting sights and scents. These Neopterons, like most of their family, operate entirely on instinct. As such, they cannot speak any decipherable language, instead communicating through primitive clicks and buzzes.

You might be wondering why I placed this Neopteron in the Stealth class with monsters of higher intelligence. After all, Aruserutasus, as noted, are practically mindless when it comes to brainpower. However, the reason I have placed them in this category is because of the females of their species, the Generu Serutasus, which I will cover in a separate chapter.

Despite their pitiful brainpower, Aruserutasus have been known to show at least an ounce of intelligence during the mating season. Some individuals, usually the smaller and weaker ones, seek out a female Generu Serutasu after killing a small prey monster. They use the offering of food as a distraction to the female so they can quietly mate with her without being noticed.

I once witnessed a disgusting yet fascinating example of this on Heavenly Mountain – an Aruserutasu had mated with a Generu Serutasu, only to be killed and eaten. But then, a smaller Aruserutasu, which had presumably been hiding and waiting for this very occasion, suddenly flew over and mated with the Generu Serutasu while she was busy eating the other male! I guess even supposedly mindless monsters can show ingenuity from time to time.

Speaking of Generu Serutasu, this malicious insect is the one thing the Aruserutasu fears over anything else. When springtime rolls around, these Neopterons become extremely twitchy – flying around incessantly and for no apparent reason at all, nervously rubbing their forelegs together at constant intervals, and attacking anything in sight out of pure, fearful agitation. They tend to become harder to find during this time, only coming out of their seclusion to hunt.

While it may seem odd that Aruserutasus fear the creatures they are supposed to mate with – even though small female insects often eat the males, at least the males don't actively avoid them – this behavior is perfectly understandable. At least, understandable when you know what a Generu Serutasu is capable of. And when you do, you can't help but feel pity for the Aruserutasus, living their lives in a constant state of fear.

Ailments: The Aruserutasu only inflicts one ailment under normal circumstances, called Defense Down. It can give afflict you with this status by spraying you with its acidic mucus, which will eat away at whatever armor you're wearing and make it weaker.

Additionally, the Aruserutasu can potentially inflict one other status ailment, as long as it has been affected by Generu Serutasu's pheromones. Its mucus becomes much stronger and will inflict the Fatigued ailment, which will cause you to become tired after only the slightest exertion. Whatever you do, avoid that mucus.

Relatives: Obviously, the closest relative to the Aruserutasu is the Generu Serutasu, as they belong to the same species. However, it is unknown to which Neopteron outside of its species it is most closely related.

The Vespoid is a possible candidate – the queens can grow to gigantic sizes and are able to squirt terrible acid from their abdomens. Another one is the Bnahabra – these creatures resemble beetles, like the Aruserutasu, and possess glands similar to the Aruserutasu's. Until we find another Neopteron that is similar enough to be considered a close relative to the Aruserutasu, I'm considering the Bnahabra to be its closest current relative.

How to Approach: Please don't. Even outside of mating season, Aruserutasus can be aggressive toward humans. They see us as prey and will almost certainly go after you if you approach it. Their wings can propel them at speeds that no human is capable of matching. Furthermore, Aruserutasus are incredibly stupid and cannot speak, so the average traveler should have no reason to walk up to it and start an idle conversation.

To researchers who are assigned this monster, on the other hand, I would suggest simply to stay out of sight – a difficult task, considering the size and range of the Aruserutasu's vision. Bring a heavily defensive set of armor and a weapon to defend yourself with. If you must fight, aim for its forearms – you will not inflict any fatal injuries on them, but you will almost certainly scare the Aruserutasu away if you damage them.

Summary: Aruserutasus are some of the strangest monsters known to mankind – a large beetle-like creature with long, sharp forearms and a pronounced canopy-like horn. They view us, and everything else smaller than them, as nothing but prey. Usually passive, yet irritable when hunting and incredibly jumpy during mating season, these Neopterons inhabit the Nameless region and have the potential to attack anything they see. They are certainly fascinating, but exercise caution around them. Such stupid, instinct-dependant creatures are unpredictable.

-.-.-.-.-.

Aruserutasu is a weaker monster introduced in Monster Hunter 4. His title is the "Armor Breaker Bug", and he looks a bit like an aircraft of some kind. The music that plays when he appears is oddly appealing.

I make numerous references to the female of his species, but I won't be covering that for a while. I'm giving Generu Serutasu her own chapter, where I will go into more detail as to why the males fear her so much…

I'll publish the next monster soon, so leave a review in the meantime!

Next chapter: Arzuros!