Aerocystid

My first ever digital sketch. This new graphics tablet has opened up loads of possibilites and things to experiment with. I need to work on my coloring though.

This is an aerocystid, or bladderbug, a simulafungus that feeds on herbaceous matter. Aerocystids travel in schools, or colonies, for safety and travel much as a school of herring would on Earth. School size depends on the species, with some kinds preferring solitary lifestyles, and others travelling in groups of only a few individuals. Their 6-8 gas bladders are filled with gaseous ammonia, which is produced naturally by all simulafungi. In Erytheia's dense atmosphere and low gravity, bladderbugs such as this commonly reach sizes of 40-50 cm long. Even so, nearly all bladderbugs are far from being large and buoyant enough to be able to support their weight by buoyancy alone, and must flap their wings steadily to remain aloft. This and related species use a flapping motion like a hummingbird, sweeping the wings in an elliptical shape that generates lift on the forward and backstroke.
This particular species of aerocystid has five eyes, which are little more than light sensitive flaps. The photosensitive cells are in a bowl-shaped structure that allows the bladderbug to sense the direction of light as well as sense visual movement. The real primary sense of bladderbugs is sonar. Two of the air bladders have been internally modified to produce a range of sounds that are focused ahead. On either side of the mouth are auricular structures for hearing the sounds. A complex cerebral ganglion has developed to interpret incoming information, and it is located just below the sonar organs and above the labrum of the jaw.

The color was just experimentation with the graphics tablet. There may be aerocystids that come in solid colors, but more likely they are mottled, striped, or textured in some way to suit their surroundings and lifestyle.

This is a very rough sketch, and I will probably do a more detailed one at some point.