Author Notes - Hey, do you want another game of 'Pikmin Fan Complains Because the Science is Wrong and She Has No Life'? The similarities between the species in these two families are so similar that you'd think they were from the same family. Except they're apparently not... and the difference is only one letter, they all share a genus, but the red one has a slightly different genus, and the 'I' and 'U' keys are right next to each other on the keyboard...

FLITTERBIE AND FLUTTERBIE FAMILY

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Pseudoinsecta
Order: Pseudolepido

EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES

I'm trying not to do more than one family per entry, but these two families are quite literally only one letter apart. I think I have the right to do this. It helps that their common names are so similar. To the point where I'm tempted to say that someone made a typo. I can't be certain, though. They do all share a genus, so I'm inclined to believe it's a typo. Does that make me seem like a know-it-all? I think it might. But, I mean, COME ON! … Wait, the red guy has a different genus that's only a letter or two off from the others? I… I… WHAT KIND OF ORGANISATION IS THIS?!

(Obligatory break to stop oncoming aneurysm)

That aside… they're so PREEEEEEE-TEEEEEEE. I mean, they're like butterflies, and butterflies are always nice, but these guys consistently pack super vibrant colours that aren't too common on 'real' butterflies. Mostly because such bright colours leave them quite open to being eaten, but that's beyond the point. And, if you're feeling cruel, they serve as a nice source of nectar or ultra-spicy/bitter sprays. But that's only if you're willing to hurt them, and why would you want to hurt perfectly harmless bugs just to get a little bit of nectar?

...

Really? Look, I love gaming as much as you do, but your disregard for life - fictional or not - worries me.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCES

All members of these families resemble butterflies, so closely that one may mistake them for true members of the Lepidoptera order. However, there are a few key differences that must be noted. Unlike true butterflies, members of these families have two eyes on stalks, and the number of legs is quite different. Some species have no legs at all, while others have a lone pair of legs on the bottom of the abdomen. That being said, they otherwise resemble butterflies so closely that it is perfectly understandable to call them simply 'butterflies'.

Fenestari prismatus (Unmarked Spectralids) are the simplest of the families, when it comes to appearance. The eye stalks are hardly visible, their bodies are the one shade of colour, and - as their common name implies - bare no markings of any kind on their wings. They come in three colours. Yellow is the most common by far, though red and purple variants have also been spotted. The only differences between them appear to be their diet. Unlike the other members, Unmarks have bodies in three segments, in contrast to their marked relatives.

Fenestari albaprismatus (White Spectralids), Fenestari jaunoprismatus (Yellow Sp.), and Fenestari russoprismatus (Red Sp.) obviously vary in colour, though another difference lies in the patterns in the wings. Whites have four big dark-blue spots - two on the top of their wings, and another two on the bottom. Yellows have black 'rims' alongside the edges, with a singular spot on their lower wings. Reds have a thin white 'rim' which is edged by a thick black line, with two small dots on the top wings and one on the bottom.

HABITAT

Spectralids typically live on the surface of the planet. Like true butterflies, they are usually found wherever flowers can be found. They can handle many kinds of climates, but they cannot survive in cold snowy areas due to the low temperatures and lack of flowers. Of the marked Spectralids, the White and Yellow variants are relatively common, compared to the Red variant which is hardly ever seen. In fact, one could have an entire expedition in Red Spectralids territory and never see even one once.

Unmarked Spectralids have also been found underground, including (bizarrely enough) the Frontier Cavern, a cave filled to the brim with snow and red bricks resembling a chimney. How they can survive the low temperature while their marked brethren cannot is not yet understood. Otherwise, they stay strictly to more organic caves, such as those layered with dirt. One known case has groups of them living among pipes with so much water and dirt coursing through them that they grew plants and became an ecosystem all of their own.

DIET AND DEFENCES

Like true butterflies, Spectralids eat nectar. They do so via a proboscis so small that it may not appear visible to the naked eye unless one looks very closely. The kind of nectar they prefer is based on the colour of their wings - white and yellow ones prefer regular nectar, while reds prefer that of the Fructus cursimius confitus (Spicy Spiderwort) and purples that of Fructus cursimius acerbudicus (Bitter Spiderwort). Note that all known species will eat regular plant nectar the most, but the reds and purples will consume Spiderwort nectar if given the chance.

Their preference dictates their colour, not the other way around. The Red Spectralids is given its namesake colour only because of its diet. Ultra-Spicy nectar is used as a supplement given to increase egg growth, resulting in the red 'butterflies' having trace amounts of ultra-spicy flakes in their scales. When this is combined with the nectar they drink, it creates Ultra-Spicy nectar, which can be used to aggravate various animal species if consumed or inhaled. The same applies to purple Unmarkeds (just with ultra-bitter flacks that can cause petrification in other species), and Yellow Spectralids have translucent scales that make the yellow nectar visible.

And, also like true butterflies, Spectralids have next-to-no self-defence mechanisms. All they are capable of doing is fluttering in the breeze and consuming nectar, getting ready to lay their eggs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this makes them common victims to more predatory creatures, up to and including Winged Pikmin.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Unmarked variants stick together in groups that vary in number depending on the depth. Groups on the surface typically only consist of four members, while those found underground can have up to twenty members, growing bigger on average the closer to the core they are found. It is possible this is due to livable areas being less common so deep, leading to the Spectralids crowding together far more, but this is unconfirmed.

Marked Spectralids, however, prefer to remain by themselves, though they may also make small groups consisting of two or three members. Each Spectralids has their own small territory that they flutter about in, and rarely leave it for purposes outside of mating.

COURTING AND CHILDREARING

Once a year, members of both families will congregate with their own species and migrate over to warmer climates to breed. The manner of which this is done is quite similar though not identical to the iconic Danaus plexippus (Monarch Butterfly), and its famous migration. When the temperature forests they reside in grow too cold in winter, they will migrate in a massive group from their homes in the southern hemisphere and to the warmer forests that are experiencing summer heat instead.

Spectralids prefer to mate with their own colour, though they are by no means restricted to doing so. Many in fact enjoy mating with other colours, and many more will do so if there is no other choice. The females lay up to a hundred eggs each, typically on the underside of leaves. Once the eggs are laid, the Spectralids do not live much longer and typically die in a week. It may take another two weeks for the eggs to hatch. The caterpillars will eat everything in sight until they are capable of pupating and becoming Spectralids, which instinctively migrate all the way back to the other homes in time for spring.

While Unmarked Spectralids will only ever be one of three colours, Marked Spectralids have a 25% chance of hatching as a combination. While hardly noticeable for White/Yellow, Red/White can produce pink while Red/Yellow can produce orange. Due to Red's remarkably low reproductive capabilities and inherent rarity, orange variants are near impossible to find in the wild and are almost always the result of breeding in captivity. Wild orange variants fetch incredibly high prices.

OTHER NOTES

There has been much confusion over whether or not 'Spectralids' is strictly plural or is also the singular noun. The confusion stems from how Spectralids are almost always mentioned in groups. The very few times they have been mentioned in a singular context, the 's' at the end is usually retained, but sometimes not. Indeed, 'Spectralids' is the singular noun, though the existence of the 's' makes this mistake perfectly understandable.

NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS

Unmarked -

As cruel as it may sound, these butterflies can serve as a helpful source of nectar and sprays when you're deep underground. They're fragile and appear in swarms, but they'll fly away in an instant. You best be quick if you want to harvest your nectar. - Alph

If these little guys were meant to give us nectar and stuff underground, they suck at it. I can barely keep up with their massive swarm, they're so hard to hit, and even if you do hit 'em... they only drop a thing, like, twenty-five percent of time! How inconvenient. - Brittany

Living proof that not everything on the planet is a giant killing machine. It's just that the mean guys are a lot easier to run into by mistake. It makes me feel bad for attacking them just to get nectar, but I put my crew above all else. - Captain Charlie

White -

There's a saying that a tiny design adjustment can cause huge cascades of change elsewhere in a project. It makes me wonder what effect our presence here has had on the planet. - Alph

You'd think with wings like that, it would float away on the slightest breeze. Maybe it's working really hard to stay where it is. If that's the case, it could've fooled me. - Brittany

It's a flighty one, in both senses of the word. But even if it would stay still, I don't have the heart to unleash my steely fists on the poor thing. - Captain Charlie

Yellow -

Its only defence mechanism is its swift, erratic flight. If you can catch it when it's stationary, it's easy to take down, but there's no point unless you're desperate for nectar. - Alph

If the colour yellow could fly, it would be this animal. It's so thin and papery that there's hardly anything to it apart from colour. I think I'd like to fly, but maybe not if I had to give up all my substance. - Brittany

This one's OK, as the wildlife on this planet goes. It's a nice shade of yellow, but not as perfect as the colour of my rubber ducky. - Captain Charlie

Red -

There must be a reason for the colour variation between the various models of this creature, but I haven't yet figured out what it is. This one is probably my favourite, though. You can't go wrong with red! - Alph

One of these red beauties flew really close to me once when I was standing still. I took that to mean I smell as sweet as a flower. It's funny how the Ultra-Spicy Nectar it carries doesn't seem to make it any more excitable than the rest of its kind. Maybe it's just better at keeping it together. - Brittany

Though red is the universally recognised symbol of danger, these creatures couldn't hurt a fly. A shame, too, because there are plenty of monster flies on this planet which could use some hurting. - Captain Charlie

Author Notes - The 'Flobber' family is probably the strangest name for a family in the whole game.