Kmamt

The kmamt (pronounced /mænt/) is a kind of large insect often kept as a pet by many people of B'gor. They are particularly popular on the continent of Eperlock and in western Siaia, but can be found all over B'gor.

Though one occasionally hears attempts to pronounce the word "the way it's spelled"—such as /kəˈmæmt/ or /kəˈmæmət/—the simplified pronunciation of /mænt/ has now become standard. Despite the aphthongization of the ⟨k⟩ and the assimilation of the second ⟨m⟩, however, the spelling of the word for unclear reasons seems to be stubbornly resistant of reflecting these changes. This is not to say that the spelling has not changed at all, however; "kmamt" is actually a shorter version of an older name for the creature, "kmamamtong". This tongue-twister (or the intermediate and arguably erroneous "kmamtong") is still seen, but the longer version of the word is now generally considered obsolete and its use tends to come across as pretentious (and those few fustianists who still use it are wildly inconsistent with its pronunciation).

Description

Kmamts exist in considerable variety, but the majority are between 35 and 55 centimeters long. They somewhat resemble giant cockroaches, with six legs, hard shells, and long antennae. The kmamt's head bears two large compound eyes and complex mouthparts of which the maxillary and labial palps are the most prominent. There are also two smaller simple eyes, or ocelli, on the back of the kmamt's head, but in most breeds those blend in with the carapace and are not readily noticeable. While kmamts do have two pairs of wings, they are not capable of flight; the upper wings form the back of the creature's shell while the lower wings have become fully ornamental.

Like other domestic animals, kmamts have been split into a number of different breeds. These breeds still are regarded as pertaining to the same species, and remain for the most part interfertile, but vary widely in color, markings, shape, and other attributes. The original kmamts are thought to have had oval bodies and been a light cream in color, but now there are kmamt breeds in every color of the rainbow and plenty of colors that aren't, their bodies diamond-shaped, rectangular, or covered with odd protrusions. They can be striped, spotted, banded, or mottled. Some have feathery antennae; some have oversized eyes; some have long snouts like weevils. The kmamt's lower wings can be especially showy, displaying vivid patterns on the rare occasions that they're visible. Three of the most popular kmamt breeds are the sovereign, with gold and other brilliant colors and butterfly-like wings; the ticker, known for its loud clicking noises; and the squab, soft-shelled and cuddly.

Taxonomy

The kmamt's resemblance to a cockroach is not just superficial; the kmamt does in fact belong to the order Blattaria (a.k.a. Blattodea), and is in fact a member of the same family, Blattelidae, as one of the common pest varieties of cockroach. It belongs to a different subfamily, however, Pseudophyllodromiinae (the smaller and better known pest species belonging to the subfamily Blattellinae). Notwithstanding their great cosmetic variety, all domestic kmamts are considered to pertain to the same species, Eublatta canarius, though there are a few related wild species that belong to the same genus, namely the ice roach E. gelus, the (somewhat misnamed) white beetle E. pratensis, and the diverman, E. chelydri.

Anatomy

Like all insects, kmamts have three main segments to their bodies: a head, thorax, and abdomen. The abdomen is by far the largest of these sections, though in most breeds the thorax is almost as wide. The kmamt's three jointed legs attach to the thorax, though they extend far enough back that it isn't obvious at a glance that they're not coming from the abdomen. The kmamt's wings are almost always kept folded back on its body, the hindwings concealed beneath the forewings so that they appear only a part of its shell.

Though it has an open circulatory system, the kmamt does have a heart—in fact, five hearts, in the form of pulsing, foraminous tubes running lengthwise down its body (and apparently developed from the single such tube possessed by most smaller insects). Respiration is accomplished through other tubes called tracheae that attach to apertures on the kmamt's side called spiracles. Gases diffuse through the tracheae and are therefrom distributed to the rest of the body. Though the kmamt has no true lungs, its entire body rhythmically expands and contracts to aid its respiration when it is exerting itself (or, for many breeds, continually). Given its large size, the kmamt requires a considerable volume of gas exchange, and the amount of its body mass taken up by the tracheal tubes makes the kmamt quite light for its size, its mass considerably smaller than one might at first expect—a typical full-grown kmamt masses only 1.7 to 6.6 kilograms.

Most kmamts are omnivorous, able to eat virtually anything organic, a trait that makes them relatively easy to care for (though sometimes difficult to train not to eat certain things).

Reproduction and development

Although pet kmamts are often either neutered or kept segregated from those of the opposite gender, kmamts have complex courtship routines, the males striking unusual poses and performing various "dances" even "singing" by rubbing their forewings with their hind legs. (Many domestic kmamts are trained to "sing" outside of courtship situations, though this doesn't occur naturally.) Kmamts are oviparous, the eggs developing in a superellipsoidal eggcase called an ootheca, where dozens of elongated eggs are arranged in parallel rows.

A young kmamt, or nymph, resembles a smaller version of an adult, save that the wings and genitalia are undeveloped. Over a period of several years, the nymph will gradually grow, periodically molting to shed their old, outgrown exoskeletons so that they can grow into new ones. The shells that are the products of this ecdysis are often shed in one piece, resembling ghostly versions of the insect; kmamt enthusiasts often preserve these cast-off exoskeletons, keeping them like fragile statues.

Industry

In some parts of B'gor, the raising and selling of kmamts is a major industry, with some kmamt farmers demanding high prices for purebred kmamts of particular features and lineage. The breeding of kmamts for new combinations of traits is a cottage industry all its own, and a new kmamt breed tends to come to public awareness every few years to join the hundred or so already popular.