SYNOPSIS OF UFP CLEARED, ARCHIVED INFORMATION
REPORT ONE
REPORT BY: ADMIRAL ADRIENNE PARADIS
PLANET: Magoi
SYSTEM: Mirabilius
Magoi is a lush world abundant with such varieties of flora and fauna, it will take decades to catalog them all. Upon initial investigation, it's ecosystem is extremely fragile. Visits from offworlders that last longer than three months can produce irreversible damage. Visits lasting three months, with a six month span between, gives the ecosystem time to regenerate itself. This schedule also makes research and study painstakingly slow.
Fourth planet from it's sun, it has a 30 hour cycle of 15 hours of daylight and night. Temperatures and climate are constant , but will change depending on distance from the equator. The poles are very cold and inhospitable.
For a more detailed analysis and in-depth, updated reports, refer to Archived Information in the Main Library which can be accessed through UFPAI (UFP Approved Infonet).
RESEARCH UPDATES
TREPIDARE APUD
The Trepidare Apud can best be described by their slang name, Flutter Bys. Most of the time they are nearly transparent and can hardly be seen at all except by the movement of the plants around which they live or by the very gentle breeze of their wings. Only in the morning and evening twilight do they appear solid for a short span of time. There are hundreds of variations of their basic shape and colors. There may even be a sub-species, but the fragility of the ecosystem and the difficulty in finding the Trepidare Apud makes this difficult to confirm.
It is from the cocoons of the Trepidare Apud that the golden Carie fabric is made. The cocoons themselves remain transparent, even at twilight, until after the Trepidare, the worm of the Trepidare Apud, has completed its transformation and left it. At this point the cocoon can be easily seen in the daytime as its golden color reflects the sunlight. It is not yet understood what part the discarded cocoon plays in this delicate ecosystem, therefore, 100% harvesting of them has been made punishable by UFP Regulations in order to preserve the habitat of the Trepidare Apud.
TREPIDARE APUD COCOONS
After the Trepidare Apud leaves its cocoon and the cocoon becomes visible, harvesting can begin. The cocoon must be gently separated from its location so that no branch or leaf is disturbed. If this is not possible, the cocoon must be left in place until it falls of its own accord. By this time, however, the substance the Trepidare uses to bind the cocoon has deteriorated the threads beyond use.
It has been noted that the Trepidare will somehow identify and use the same location to spin its cocoon as a previous Trepidare if it is undisturbed. How they know whether or not it has been unnaturally disturbed is unknown. If the Trepidare finds a location and senses it has been disturbed, it will wait until the next cycle to spin its cocoon rather that look for another location. This can seriously affect the number of cocoons available for harvest.
Once harvested, threads from the cocoons can be spun off and made into the Carie cloth so favored for ceremonial purposes in some cultures. The cloth retains the golden qualities of the cocoon, including the unusual way it reflects light, and yet is one of the softest fabrics known on the homeworld.
More information on the Carie cloth and on the life cycle of the Trepidare Apud can be found in the appropriate Archives in the Main Library and are accessible through UFPAI.
CAUTIONARY NOTES
There is a type of moss, or lichen that can be found everywhere on Magoi except in the harshest areas of the polar regions. It survives in water, as well as at any altitude. It has proven to be an extreme nuisance as it can invade equipment in a mater of minutes and in a couple of hours, render it useless.
We have found nothing that hinders its growth and no way to protect our equipment from its invasion.
Of particular interest is that only equipment which may harm the environment in any way is consistently invaded and rendered useless.
The moss must also propagate by air borne spores as well as buy land. Even our low altitude atmospheric probes have been affected.
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