Author Notes - This is the first family where I have 'reclassified' a species. In this case, the Fiery Dwarf Bulblax from Hey! Pikmin. This is because it was given the Oculus genus from the Grub-Dog family despite being in the Breadbug family. Which means it's apparently related to species outside of its family. Which is like classifying a cat as a Canis catus instead of a Felis catus. There's really no need to fix this, but I'm a massive nerd and it irrationally annoys me to no end.

BREADBUG FAMILY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Anthropoda
Class: Bipoda
Order: Bulborousa

EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES

Do you think they actually taste like bread? I should ask Louie. Wait, they're actually flavourless? Oh. Well, that's a disappointment.

As for the Bulborb Mimics, as I've come to call them… I find them kinda relatable. They avoid predators and danger by pretending to be something they're not, keeping up a façade and going through great difficulty to convince people that they're not weird. In other words, I had an absolutely crap time in primary school. I'LL GET MY REVENGE ON YOU ONE DAY, BECKY! … Where was I? Oh yeah, Breadbugs.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCES

The Breadbug family comes in two flavours (heh): the 'vanilla Breadbugs', and the Bulborb mimics.

Pansarus gluttonae (Vanilla Breadbug, named as such to avoid confusion), as the name implies, resembles a loaf of bread. They share a similar facial structure and tiny two-toed legs to the Bulborbs, but at a fraction of the height. They also lack many of the Bulborb's distinguishing features, such as the eye stalks and colourful spotted hind. Its small blue eyes exhibit small amounts of bioluminescence when in the dark, and - most prominently of all - almost its whole body aside from its face and legs is covered in a thick brown skin. The shape of this brown skin, combined with the ridges, give it its namesake bread-like appearance. This thick hide makes the Vanilla Breadbug highly resistant to most attacks, though enough brunt force can wear it down.

Pansarus gigantus (Giant Breadbug) is exactly what both its common name and scientific name implies - a Vanilla Breadbug of much greater size. It has been recorded to be of at least twice the height of their smaller counterparts. Their size is not the only difference. Instead of their thick hind being rounded, the hind of a Giant Breadbug is so rectangular that one could swear that it was made in a mold. This hide is even thicker than that of the Vanilla Breadbug, and resistant to almost all direct attacks. Only a massive swarm of Pikmin can bring it down.

Bulborb Mimics are just what they sound like - species of Breadbugs with an astounding ability to mimic the appearance and behaviour of other creatures. Due to pre-existing similarities between species, all known mimics copy the appearance and behaviour of members of the Grub-Dog family (see 'Bulborb, Grub-Dog'). They mimic these greater species to keep themselves safe from predation, and may even successfully fool Grub-Dogs into thinking that they are indeed juveniles.

The variants include: Pansarus pseudooculii russus (Dwarf Red Bulborb), Pansarus pseudooculii orangium (Dwarf Orange Bulborb), and Pansarus pseudooculii frosticus (Snow Bulborb). There is also a mimic of the Fiery Bulblax, Pansarus pseudooculii volcanus (1) (Fiery Dwarf Bulblax). Each resembles their Grub-Dog counterpart, but small enough to be mistaken for the real juveniles. The Snow Bulborbs are notable as they are incapable of growing the thick fur that grows on the hind of the Hairy Bulborb. However, as the fur of a Hairy Bulborb can easily fall out, it still provides an adequate mimicry.

The Fiery Dwarf Bulblaxes have a close relative in Pansarus volcanus volanti (Fireflap Bulborb), which have evolved to grow flap-like wings. They resemble moths much more than their terrestrial counterparts, with red eyes on stalks and an insect-like body. Their wings and skin constantly give off flames.

HABITAT

Vanilla Breadbugs and Giant Breadbugs usually live exclusively underground, though some may emerge to the surface to look for food. They are typically found in earthy or marshy caverns, but they have also been found in high numbers in the Glutton's Kitchen, a cave that greatly resembles a giant playroom with a wooden floor. Vanilla Breadbugs are far more common and can be spotted in caverns all over PNF-404, while Giant Breadbugs are rarely seen outside of the deepest caverns. The lowest level of the aforementioned Glutton's Kitchen is the best place to spot one.

Each Breadbug has its own nest, made of big green leaves, that leads to their underground home. This nest is full of the food that they forage for (see 'Diet'), but has little room for anything else. Any small living thing, such as Pikmin, that wanders inside this nest will never be seen again.

Bulborb Mimics, as you may expect, are almost always found in the same places as the Bulborbs they are mimicking. The Red dwarfs can be found just about everywhere, the Orange ones in more high-traffic areas, and Snow ones in colder climates. Fiery Dwarf Bulblaxes are very rare, and have only been seen in volcanic areas. Fireflap Bulborbs live in many of the same areas as Fiery Dwarf Bulblaxes, albeit they typically live in much greater elevations. They make their nests on the cliff sides around volcanic areas, only coming down to the ground level rarely for hunting purposes.

DIET AND DEFENCES

What do Vanilla and Giant Breadbugs eat? Everything. They'll consume almost anything they can get their jaws on. They favour Pikmin pellets and meat the most, however. Breadbugs do not do their own hunting, and will only scavenge for carrion during the day as they are diurnal creatures. When a Breadbug encounters a pellet or some carrion, it will proceed to drag them away to its nest. Once it returns to its nest, it will consume whatever it has carried. Any small insects or Pikmin who happen to be holding onto this food will be eaten alongside it.

However, they will take more than simply pellets or carrion. If they can grab onto it and drag it, they will take it back to their nest. Sometimes, they will be unable to eat it immediately, and thus will leave it in its nest to return to later as it goes out to gather food again. Other times, however, they will manage to swallow it whole through means unknown. Objects reported to be found in their nests and bodies include but are not limited to: Captain Olimar's space float, a giant cookie, a big container of baking powder, a castanet twice its size, and even a gigantic eraser. Some researchers have compared it to the Hippopotamus amphibius (hippos), another creature known for surprising people with the random objects it has consumed.

Most of its food is also the primary diet of Pikmin, and both Pikmin and Breadbugs often compete for the same sources of food. The Breadbug's coat of blubber is more than tough enough to resist attacks from Pikmin, and those dragged to its nest often get eaten or lost forever. However, direct attacks from Pikmin thrown on top of them have been reported to do a tiny amount of damage, and some researchers have claimed to see a Breadbug turned to food by an entire swarm of Pikmin.

Of note is that Breadbugs have no qualms over practising cannibalism. If it encounters some carrion of a fellow Breadbug, it will not hesitate to drag the body to its nest to eat it. Giant Breadbugs also willingly consume the corpses of their lesser brethren, and only manage to avoid competing for food resources as they usually go after larger 'prey' than their Vanilla counterparts.

Bulborb Mimics, by nature of being mimics, do not participate in such dieting behaviour. Instead, they eat Pikmin and any small insects hiding in the grass. When they are not doing anything else, they can be seen sniffing the ground for prey. They often stay in the same spot, waiting for prey to arrive, before moving to a different but nearby spot after an indeterminate amount of time.

Fireflap Bulborbs eat small insects much like the Bulborb Mimics, but they hunt their prey by flying low to the ground and scattering their desiccated and burning skin flakes with every wing flap. It has no control over how often its burning skin flakes fall, so it has a habit of burning other creatures it had no intention of harming. If its prey is small enough, it will eat them on the ground. Larger prey is instead carried to their nests and consumed in safety. If two Fireflap Bulborbs want the same bit of meat, they will fight over it.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Vanilla Breadbugs are typically solitary creatures. They have a small territory surrounding their nests, and will search for food within this territory. They can share their territory space with others of their kind, however, and their lack of offensive capabilities means there is little to no fighting among themselves. Any 'battles' are more a test of endurance, as one Breadbug will inevitably lose their food resources to the other and starve.

Giant Breadbugs are always seen around a small group of smaller Breadbugs. Early researchers believed that the Giant Breadbug functioned as a sort of ruler to the smaller bugs, one who would demand that its 'subjects' deliver food to it. However, it has been proven that this is not the case at all. Giant Breadbugs appear to act as a sort of 'breadwinner' - if you'll excuse the pun - to the smaller Breadbugs, sometimes inviting them to harvest whatever they please from their gigantic nest. Since the smaller Breadbugs leave behind the big 'prey' they cannot eat, the Giant Breadbug is never at risk of starvation by doing this. In other words, the Giant Breadbug isn't so much a 'ruler' as it is like a 'parent'.

Bulborb Mimics can be seen by themselves or in a small group. To protect themselves from predation, they seek out genuine mature Bulborbs and pretend to be real juveniles. This mimicry works surprisingly well, as a Bulborb Mimic can cry for help and any nearby adult Bulborb will awaken and attempt to take out the threat. They try their hardest to imitate the social structure of genuine Bulborbs, and as a result do not have much of a social structure of their own.

Fireflap Bulborbs are exclusively solitary creatures, only interacting with others of their kind during mating season. Intruders into one's territory are never tolerated, and a Fireflap Bulborb will defend its territory violently. Any intruder is given the opportunity to surrender and leave at any time, but those who don't are not likely to leave alive. The area around Fireflap territories tend to be covered in scorch marks for several days on end.

COURTING AND CHILDREARING

A male Breadbug will impress a female with the impressive collection he keeps in his nest. The reasoning for this exactly is not clear, but it could be because a big collection of food proves that he is a worthy caretaker, or perhaps Breadbugs see a collection as having some sort of monetary value and female Breadbugs like to mate with those who are 'rich'. Giant Breadbugs are much the same way, but females appear to accept less since encountering another Giant Breadbug is quite rare. This behaviour is also shown, albeit rarely, between two Breadbugs of the same sex. Many believe that this is merely a sign of friendship, but as opposite sex Breadbugs always mate after this process, it is clear that Breadbugs occasionally exhibit homosexual behaviours. (Kinda like me.)

Much like the Empress Bulblax (see 'Grub-Dog Family, Bulblaxes'), members of the Breadbug family give birth to larvae. Unlike Bulborbs, however, the larvae cannot hunt on their own yet and will stay in the nest until they grow their own legs. Once this is done, they become Crumbugs - a small Breadbug with a small cubic body, originally thought to be a separate species. Crumbugs do not have the characteristic tough hind yet, and will walk around aimlessly and eat any small insects or Pikmin they come across, until they find a suitable spot for their own nest. They become sexually mature in six months, whereupon their hind hardens and they become proper Breadbugs. Giant Breadbugs are indistinguishable from their Vanilla brethren until they become Crumbugs, whereupon they grow to a much greater size and their torsos are noticeably taller.

Bulborb Mimics attempt to imitate the courting of genuine Bulborbs (see 'Grub-Dog Family, Bulborbs'), but don't quite get all the details down. Males will compete with each other in a fight, with the winner able to mate with the female and the loser walking away dejected. Once the male Bulborb Mimic has mated, he will leave long before his children are born to find another female to mate with. However, if there are too many genuine Bulborbs nearby, a group of Mimics will run into thick bushes to hide what they are doing. Closer inspection reveals that - how does one word this? - it is a free-for-all. Mimic larvae are born in these same bushes, where they are raised until they can handle everything themselves.

When a male Fireflap Bulborb encounters a female, he will attempt to impress her with a glorious show of fire resembling a fireworks display. If she accepts his offer, she will join in on the display and their patterns will mix together perfectly. A male and female courting together is a spectacular sight that is unfortunately rare to see, since they often court high in the sky away from where any grounded creature could see them. Fireflap larvae are birthed in the nests, and the parents work together to make sure they do not fall off. Once the offspring are approximately four weeks old, they can fly with ease and leave to make their own nests.

OTHER NOTES

Vanilla and Giant Breadbugs are capable of cross-breeding with each other, and the resulting offspring depends on who is the mother and who is the father. If the Vanilla Breadbug is the mother, the offspring will be small but with a thick rectangular hind. If the Giant Breadbug mothers them instead, the offspring will be large but lack the distinctive square shape. Like most animal hybrids, these offspring are infertile. These hybrids are rare in the wild, but not impossible to find. It is quite a bit more common in captivity. Aside from suffering from infertility, the hybrid offspring show consistently strong genetic makeup, as well as an extra resistance to diseases.

NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS

Vanilla Breadbug -

Its thick hide seems near impossible to pierce through with anything. Not even the sharpest of teeth could get through it! Which is good, because it looks really scrumptious. - Alph

My stomach won't stop growling whenever I look at it. It looks way too much like bread, and it makes me wanna eat it! I snuck in a bite while Charlie wasn't looking, and… it's bland as heck. What a disappointment! - Brittany

Brittany really wants to take a bite out of it, but I have no idea why. Has she not seen all the stuff it's storing in its nest? We have no idea where it's been, nor what it's eaten. - Captain Charlie

Giant Breadbug -

This creature has no real way of fighting back, but it doesn't need to. Its hide is even tougher than the regular Breadbugs! I suppose that saying works the other way round to: sometimes, the best offence is a good defence.- Alph

Aw, now you're just taunting me! This beast looks like the most scrumptious and crunchy loaf of bread I've ever seen, and it's so big too! Yet, my teeth just can't get through it. It's like some sort of cruel trap! - Brittany

This guy is like a tank that can't fight back. Even my steely fists can't pierce that body armour. I'd leave it alone, but it keeps trying to kidnap Rubber Ducky away from me! In fact, I once saw them in the bottom of its nest! If it thinks it can get away with that, it's got another think coming! - Captain Charlie

Dwarf Red Bulborbs -

Despite its compact form, it has a Brittany-sized appetite. You can avoid getting swarmed by drawing them out one by one to be dealt with. - Alph

It's big enough to ride, if only we could tame one. Imagine exploring an alien world from atop its native fauna! Sure beats having to walk everywhere. - Brittany

They say to pick on someone your own size, and for these creatures, that's us. Someday, it'll grow to be as big and bloodthirsty as its adult relatives. Why does everything have to get meaner as it ages? Why can't they get cuter? - Captain Charlie

Dwarf Orange Bulborbs -

Compared to the red ones, these seem to have slightly higher vitality. When they swarm, try to stay calm and aim at the weak spot on their backs. - Alph

It's as twitchy as its larger counterpart. So much stress can take its toll on the skin. You know what helps with that? A nice juice cleanse. I wish they'd learn to chill-not only would they be happier, but they'd be much less trouble for us. - Brittany

Little, but aggressive. It's not half the problem its bigger cousins are, but it is much harder to spot. Camouflage or no camouflage, it'll have to get up pretty early in the morning to— Hey! Where'd it go?! - Captain Charlie

Snow Bulborbs -

They're just the same as the red ones, only with some camouflage. This model seems to be unfinished, judging by the lack of hair. Still, it's kinda charming that way. - Alph

Aw, I was hoping to see a tiny little ball of fluff! It's still cute, don't get me wrong, but it would've been WAY cuter with all the hair. - Brittany

This is just a tragedy. For these arctic soldiers, hair loss strikes them young. I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. - Captain Charlie (Emily's Notes - Someone wanna tell him they're not kid Bulborbs?)

Fiery Dwarf Bulblax -

I appreciate the dedication of this particular model. It's one thing to simply LOOK like a Fiery Bulblax, but it's another thing entirely to copy the flames too! Good thing we've got Reds on our side. - Alph

I wanna say it's cute, cos it's all tiny and makes really high-pitched sounds. But I can still feel the burns on my own behind, sooo… nope. - Brittany

Usually you'd use Rocks or Purples to deal with the little guys, but the flame demands that you use Reds instead. Now that's an interesting strategy I don't see very often: forcing your opponents to limit their attacking team! - Captain Charlie

Fireflap Bulborb -

Anything in nature that flies has a distinct advantage, and this fella is no different. You can't even use Winged Pikmin on it, because its flames set fire to anything that isn't red. You're best to just call your Pikmin and run. - Alph

So this one flies, AND it's on fire?! Don't you think that's a little overkill? It's almost as if the creatures on this planet were DESIGNED to kill us by some cruel game developer or something. But that would be silly... right? - Brittany

Fighter planes are always a great help in a war, but I've never seen one on fire! Well, at least one that actually stays in the sky. FIRE BOMBS AWAY! - Captain Charlie

(1) The scientific name for the Fiery Dwarf Bulblax was originally Oculus volcanus parvusii. This would put it in the game genus as Fiery Bulblaxes, which is impossible as they are a part of the Breadbug family and not the Grubdog family.

Author Notes - I know Hey! Pikmin classified Crumbugs as a separate species, but I saw that as wasted opportunity. Especially since they SCREAM 'juvenile Breadbugs', seeing as they're tiny and have underdeveloped hinds. Anyway, I hope you've armed yourself with some rocks and/or a good shield, cos we're dealing with talented jousters next!