Calaeoptera

An attempt to justify anthro moths for Wingthing, my visual novel (to which this is probably only slightly canon), including notes on evolution, anatomy, ontogeny, and pathology.

Anatomy

Pathology

Ontogeny

Juvenility

Adolescence

Adulthood

Known phylogeny

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† Pandemonium sp.Plesiadapidae

† Protoramus sp.Plesiadapidae
† Protoramus silvicolaPlesiadapidae

† Protoramus sp.Plesiadapidae
† Protoramus sp.Plesiadapidae

† Arboromorphus gracilipesCalaeopteridae
† Arboromorphus sp.Calaeopteridae

† Glidomys vulgarisCalaeopteridae

† Glidomys pavonCalaeopteridae

† Tetrachir elegansCalaeopteridae
† Tetrachir manicheliCalaeopteridae

† Arboromorphus sp.Calaeopteridae

Pandemonium sp.

Pandemonium is an extinct genus of the family Plesiadapidae.

Protoramus sp.

Protoramus is another extinct genus within the family Plesiadapidae.

Protoramus silvicola

Protoramus silvicola is another extinct genus within the family Plesiadapidae.

Protoramus sp.

Protoramus is another extinct genus within the family Plesiadapidae.

Protoramus sp.

Protoramus is another extinct genus within the family Plesiadapidae.

Family Calaeopteridae

Genus Arboromorphus

Arboromorphus gracilipes

Protoramus is another extinct genus within the family Calaeopteridae.

Arboromorphus sp.

Protoramus is another extinct genus within the family Calaeopteridae.

Arboromorphus sp.

Protoramus is another extinct genus within the family Calaeopteridae.

Genus Glidomys

Glidomys (from TK glid- 'glide' + Ancient Greek mys 'mouse') is a genus characterized by gliding wings alongside the use of supraorbital vibrissae seen in earlier clades for mating displays. Contested traits of its later members (Glidomys pavon) include the beginnings of similar displays on the wings.

Anatomy

Locomotion

Biomechanic analyses unanimously clock Glidomys as an arboreal genus, quadrupedal on the ground. It was capable of gliding short distances via thoracic membranes and had well-developed hind leg muscles for launches, alongside robust claws on fore- and hindlimbs for landings and climbing.

Wings

Glidomys' most prominent trait was the bifurcation of the spinous process in vertebra T5, located imediately below the scapulae. This vertebra's process is elongated alongside their tails to support a large, thin membrane, used for gliding in a manner similar to that of Petatarsus.

Mating displays

Members of the genus had large vibrissae used in mating displays with no obvious sexual dimorphism. Later members show keratinization beginning near the attachment sites of wing membranes, a precursor to similar displays on the wings of later genera and potentially already used for such a purpose in Glidomys.

Ecology

Ecological niche

Members were arboreal, crepuscular ambush predators which mainly fed on insects and reptiles. TK.

Social structure

Glidomys were strongly eusocial. TK.

Glidomys vulgaris

Calaeopteridae

Glidomys vulgaris (from Latin vulgat 'common') is a member of genus Glidomys living from 39-35 mya. Owing to its unusually broad range of variation, some have proposed to split the latter part of this taxon into a seperate species, G. tetanopteryx, although this name currently lacks mainstream recognition.

Biometrics

Height	TK
Length	TK
Weight	TK

Anatomy

G. vulgaris is currently the earliest known occurence of the gliding wings seen in early Calaeopterids, although it may not have been the first. Its fifth thoracic vertebra is bifurcated in a manner adjacent to certain cervical vertebrae, with a thin wing membrane attached to the process and the side of their longer tails. These wings were smaller than those of descendants like G. pavon and lacked the keratinous supports and mobility seen in the succeeding genera Tetrachir and Calaeopteryx and were likely only usable across short distances.

Ecology

Glidomys pavon

Calaeopteridae

Glidomys pavon (from Latin pavon 'peacock') is a late member of genus Glidomys living from 38-36 mya, and hypothesized to be the direct ancestor of subsequent genus Tetrachir. It represents the earliest known instance of wing scales in Calaeopterids (although this is hypothesized to have developed earlier), and the earliest potential instance of these scales being a part of mating displays as seen more prominently in subsequent genera.

Biometrics

Height	TK
Length	TK
Weight	350-400g

Anatomy

Seperately from other members of its genus, G. pavon is known to have had keratinous scales at the base of its wing membranes, thought to have served as mechanical support as they grew larger than their initial forms. These scales are also hypothesized to have been used in mating displays, as seen in the subsequent genus Tetrachir.

Ecology

Genus Tetrachir

Tetrachir (from Latin tetra 'four' + Ancient Greek chir 'hand') is a genus characterized by an extremely rare homeobox gene duplication resulting in two pairs of arms and wings and an overall lengthened thorax region. Other notable characteristics include: the near-complete loss of the ancestral tail and consequent seperation of wings from the body, the full covering of wings with scales for the purpose of mating display, graduation from gliding to powered flight, a shift from crepuscular to nocturnal behaviour, and precision grips and tool use comparable to those of late hominins.

Anatomy

Secondary thoracic structures

Tetrachir's most striking characteristic is the repetition of its upper torso including forelimbs and wings. This is almost certainly caused by a mutation either of or of the regulatory elements of homeobox genes HOXC6 and HOXC8, although genetic tests have not been performed.

All secondary structures are degraded in size and functionality compared to the primary sets. This enabled Tetrachir and subsequent taxa to develop precision grips and therefore complex tool use without leaving their arboreal habitats, as the less dextrous secondary pair was able to specialize into grasping branches while the primary pair developed fine motor control comparable to those of late hominin genus Australopithecus. This undoubtedly generated a similar feedback loop to that seen in hominins, ultimately compounding in the "human-level" intelligence of contemporaneous members of Calaeopteryx.

Wings

While similar to the later wings of their preceding genus Glidomys, Tetrachir wings were seperate from their tails and covered in keratinous scales along the frontal plane, which were thickened and hardened at the edges for structural support. Mid to late members show a complete degredation of the tail, thought to have compensated for the vast energy cost of the developing wings.

Mating displays

Alongside retaining the display function of vibrissae, Tetrachir also displays significant mating display function in the scale patterns of its wings - indeed, this was likely the primary selection pressure behind their evolution given that they somewhat hinder flight, even contemporaneously.
Chemical analyses, while limited, suggest that these scales covered a large spectrum of vibrant colors and patterns. Such scales persist in the extant lineage in both form and function.

Ecology

TK.

Tetrachir elegans

Tetrachir elegans (from Latin elegans 'select') is an early member of genus Tetrachir living from TK-TK mya.

Tetrachir manicheli

Tetrachir manicheli (from Latin mani 'hand' + Ancient Greek cheli 'claw') is a member of genus Tetrachir living from TK-TK mya.