Name: Esturyte
Evolved from: Scuteryte
Gene added (max 1): Claws, Terralungs, Plant Eating (assuming plants to be sponges, slimes, and other various photosynthesizers).
Gene removed (optional, max 1):
Description (optional): As the Scuterytes continued to thrive and diversify, the group began to divide into two main lineages. The Scuterytes remained in the sea, while the Esturytes began to move into the shallows, and eventually onto land. There, they feasted upon the corpses of animals washed upon the shore, and eventually on the numerous tidepool plants and various photosynthesizers.
This was a milestone, the first active lifeform to spend significant amounts of time on land. This incredible achievement was made possible by several changes from the original Scuteryte species.
Firstly were the 'terralungs', chambers in the Esturyte's exoskeleton which held seawater. From here, oxygen was transferred into the creature's circulatory system through a thin gill-like area, and carbon dioxide was transferred out. While the first forms of the Esturyte needed to pop back into the water several times a minute, more evolved forms could spend hours out of the water even in hot and dry conditions, as long as the delicate air transfer membrane was kept damp.
Less notably but just as important was the thinning and lightening of the Esturyte's exoskeleton, and the strengthening and lengthening of its legs. The increased strength to weight ration was critical to supporting the animal's weight in air.
While the scavenging on the shoreline made for a subsistence living, Esturytes were quick to adapt to make use of all of the available foods in this difficult new environment. One of their numerous sets of scavenging mouthparts developed into a much larger and more obvious form, becoming piercing and cutting claws.
With these new tools, the ever-adaptable Esturytes were quick to begin preying on the only other source of food- the photosynthetic life forms found all over the world's shorelines. Strong claws would rip apart the gourds of the numerous coastal plants, exposing their nutritious interiors. Sometimes the Scyterytes would even dare to attack the dangerous Urchins, snapping off some of the deadly spines in an attempt to gain the rare meal concealed within.
Who knows where this ever-adaptable family Scuteridae will expand to next?