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Description
Mothdeers are clade of megafaunal lepidopterans found on the continent of Drecel. The anatomy and adaptations of these enlarged insects is poorly understood by Draconian scholars and is hard to study. Some speculate that mothdeers are not natural evolved organisms but rather the result of bioengineering produced by some prior entity. Mothdeers are endothermic and utilize their setae as insulation. They are now flightless and use their wings as display structures. Mothdeers are limited to a "liquid diet" as they still retain a proboscis. Most have modified mouthparts or even forelimbs used to process food into a preferred form. Like most lepidopterans, mothdeers undergo complete metamorphosis as an ancestral characteristic. Partially hardened eggs are laid, most often buried in soil. Caterpillars hatch and feed, appearing as oversized versions of their earthly kin/progenitors. It is common for the diet and niche between larval and adult to be divergent so as to avoid competition. Once the caterpillar reaches a certain size, they bury and form a silk cocoon underground to overwinter. Some species may remain in their cocoons for years before emerging. Even after reaching adulthood, they may still have some growing to do before being viable in reproduction. The clutch size and amount of parental care varies heavily. Some species just lay hundreds of eggs in the open, others have the female lay eggs on the male's abdomen for him to care for. Some species are live-bearing, retaining their eggs inside themselves and giving birth to caterpillars or even young that resemble miniature versions of the adult form. One group of mothdeer, known as the Wyrms, are entirely neotenic, becoming sexually mature while a caterpillar and never pupating into an adult. Now, lets explore a small selection of the magnificent mothdeers:
1. The Skyback Noc. Nocs are among the largest of the mothdeer and are only dwarfed by the brontobills. Skybacks are solitary herbivores found in the Allerlet Mountains' river valleys and boreal forests. Related species are known from the Barvern forests along the Southeast coast of the continent. Skybacks prefer to feed on tree sap, pressuring trees in this region to either reduce production or use the Nocs to their advantage as pollen distributors and adapting to repeat browsing. Nocs will also feed on fresh growth and water plants. Nocs pair up in the spring, both sexes have bright blue scales on their wings they use for signaling and courtship display. After mating, the male and female will remain together until she lays her hundreds of eggs on his abdomen, and departs. In the summer, the eggs fall off and hatch, being dispersed and hopefully deposited over a wide range. Caterpillars feed on smaller insects before moving on to small vertebrate prey. After two winters, they will be ready to bury and cocoon for a year before emerging as a wobbly-legged subadult. It may take another two decades before they reach their true size and might.
2. The Aardmot. These myrmecophagous mothdeer have a menagerie of common and uncommon traits for their clade. Found on the prairies, Ikon Desert, and Mansry Steppe, they are nomadic by nature. To protect themselves from the bites and stings of ants and termites, the seta of their face and neck have evolved into plate-like scales, not unlike a pangolin. Their mouthparts are long and tweezerlike, used for prying open tunnels for jobs more delicate then those of their foreclaws. They are a cryptic species, often keeping their wings closed to the point it was believed that they were vestigial. Now it is hypothesized that the chromatic scales are only grown during a small window for breeding. Aardmots are livebearers, females give birth to a few small offspring who often accompany them until they can fend for themselves.
3. The Giant River Wyrm. Most wyrms are sinewy vermin, pests that eat fast, breed readily, and are in turn prey for others. The Giant River Wyrm defies this by being a slow-moving, slow-growing aquatic predator. Found through the Pyreplume and it's tributaries, this is the largest and greatest of the wyrms. Their thoracic legs have diverged, two pairs becoming paddle-like swimmerets while the forelimbs are now claws used to catch fish, amphibians, and snappermaw scallops. Prolegs have formed a fluke. They have beady eyes and reduced vision, relying on long antennae to navigate dark, murky waters. Their seta has been modified into patchy external gills. They also rely on lactic acid fermentation to supplement energy needs in anoxygenic waters. Dragon and Basilisk fishers regard these wyrms as a dangerous yet thrilling catch that provides alot of tender meat similar to acidic shrimp.

Description
Mothdeers are clade of megafaunal lepidopterans found on the continent of Drecel. The anatomy and adaptations of these enlarged insects is poorly understood by Draconian scholars and is hard to study. Some speculate that mothdeers are not natural evolved organisms but rather the result of bioengineering produced by some prior entity. Mothdeers are endothermic and utilize their setae as insulation. They are now flightless and use their wings as display structures. Mothdeers are limited to a "liquid diet" as they still retain a proboscis. Most have modified mouthparts or even forelimbs used to process food into a preferred form. Like most lepidopterans, mothdeers undergo complete metamorphosis as an ancestral characteristic. Partially hardened eggs are laid, most often buried in soil. Caterpillars hatch and feed, appearing as oversized versions of their earthly kin/progenitors. It is common for the diet and niche between larval and adult to be divergent so as to avoid competition. Once the caterpillar reaches a certain size, they bury and form a silk cocoon underground to overwinter. Some species may remain in their cocoons for years before emerging. Even after reaching adulthood, they may still have some growing to do before being viable in reproduction. The clutch size and amount of parental care varies heavily. Some species just lay hundreds of eggs in the open, others have the female lay eggs on the male's abdomen for him to care for. Some species are live-bearing, retaining their eggs inside themselves and giving birth to caterpillars or even young that resemble miniature versions of the adult form. One group of mothdeer, known as the Wyrms, are entirely neotenic, becoming sexually mature while a caterpillar and never pupating into an adult. Now, lets explore a small selection of the magnificent mothdeers:
1. The Skyback Noc. Nocs are among the largest of the mothdeer and are only dwarfed by the brontobills. Skybacks are solitary herbivores found in the Allerlet Mountains' river valleys and boreal forests. Related species are known from the Barvern forests along the Southeast coast of the continent. Skybacks prefer to feed on tree sap, pressuring trees in this region to either reduce production or use the Nocs to their advantage as pollen distributors and adapting to repeat browsing. Nocs will also feed on fresh growth and water plants. Nocs pair up in the spring, both sexes have bright blue scales on their wings they use for signaling and courtship display. After mating, the male and female will remain together until she lays her hundreds of eggs on his abdomen, and departs. In the summer, the eggs fall off and hatch, being dispersed and hopefully deposited over a wide range. Caterpillars feed on smaller insects before moving on to small vertebrate prey. After two winters, they will be ready to bury and cocoon for a year before emerging as a wobbly-legged subadult. It may take another two decades before they reach their true size and might.
2. The Aardmot. These myrmecophagous mothdeer have a menagerie of common and uncommon traits for their clade. Found on the prairies, Ikon Desert, and Mansry Steppe, they are nomadic by nature. To protect themselves from the bites and stings of ants and termites, the seta of their face and neck have evolved into plate-like scales, not unlike a pangolin. Their mouthparts are long and tweezerlike, used for prying open tunnels for jobs more delicate then those of their foreclaws. They are a cryptic species, often keeping their wings closed to the point it was believed that they were vestigial. Now it is hypothesized that the chromatic scales are only grown during a small window for breeding. Aardmots are livebearers, females give birth to a few small offspring who often accompany them until they can fend for themselves.
3. The Giant River Wyrm. Most wyrms are sinewy vermin, pests that eat fast, breed readily, and are in turn prey for others. The Giant River Wyrm defies this by being a slow-moving, slow-growing aquatic predator. Found through the Pyreplume and it's tributaries, this is the largest and greatest of the wyrms. Their thoracic legs have diverged, two pairs becoming paddle-like swimmerets while the forelimbs are now claws used to catch fish, amphibians, and snappermaw scallops. Prolegs have formed a fluke. They have beady eyes and reduced vision, relying on long antennae to navigate dark, murky waters. Their seta has been modified into patchy external gills. They also rely on lactic acid fermentation to supplement energy needs in anoxygenic waters. Dragon and Basilisk fishers regard these wyrms as a dangerous yet thrilling catch that provides alot of tender meat similar to acidic shrimp.