Dogbugs. Dogs, that are bugs. For purely self-indulgent reasons. No evolutionary history on these guys, obviously...
Anatomy
Head and sensory systems
Limbs and locomotion
Forelimbs
Forelimbs bear large claws resembling moles', arced in females who primarily use them for climbing and grasping prey, and relatively flatter in males who primarily use them to carve tree trunks. Both sexes' upper limbs are robust and muscular, and even more so in the tundra variety, L. p. nitida, who demonstrate lesser sexual dimorphism generally. Elbow and wrist joints bear thick vibrissae.
Secondary forelimbs
Two pairs in males and one in females: these inexplicable structures are relatively atrophic in appearance and cannot reach the ground, rather being used to hold offspring or, occasionally, objects (though they are imprecise and often lack grip strength) or as additional support while climbing trees.
Elytra and wings
Two pairs, with a wing shape and veining pattern resembling that of Odonata. While permitting brief periods of hovering slightly above the ground, their wings are insufficient for sustained flight. (This effect is less pronounced in adolescents, who have smaller body weight to wing area ratios, and are often able to exceed their body height in elevation.) Rather, their primary purpose is threat and mating displays wherein wings are flared and rubbed together to produce a humming or buzzing sound (not unlike the chirpings of a cricket).
Hindlimbs
More feline than canine in their robusticity, the back legs are primarily used for running and pouncing on small prey as well as bearing most of the weight while climbing. As such they bear feline-like curved claws, and otherwise do not differ significantly from the hindlimbs of a generic carnivoran.
Skin
Diversity
Subspecies
The iridescent winged wolf Lycoteras pelekys nitida
A tundra-adapted subspecies with coat colors generally ranging from dark iridescent greens to purples and white patches along the underbelly, face and primary limbs, L. pelekys nitida individuals are generally shorter and stockier than their southern counterparts.
Sexual dimorphism and parthenogenic behaviours are less pronounced in this subspecies, as well as burrow formation: trees, especially the large, old-growth variety typically used by bronze winged wolf colonies, are significantly less abundant in the tundra. Instead, L. p. nitida colonies are typically known to nest in caves and therefore have reduced the relevance of the ancestral male role as constructors of the nest.
The bronze winged wolf Lycoteras pelekys aes
Sexual dimorphism
Lycoteras is an intensely dimorphic genus. Males are, on average, 25-30% smaller than females, have an additional pair of secondary forelimbs, and larger and more elaborate supraorbital vibrissae
Social structure
Ontogeny
Reproduction
Reproduction is parthenogenic, but pairs are often seen "adopting" 3-7 eggs per two years and raising them (with partial alloparenting).