Thranx

Thranx are a sapient insectoid race indigenous to Hivehom within the Hivehom System.

Physiology
Beginning life as simple larvae, they quickly grow to an adult length of 1.5 meters. Chitin color differs between the sexes, with males being blue and females having a more aquamarine hue, which deepens to purple in old age. While winged, their double set of wings are now only vestigial, and are ritually removed after mating. The head is valentine-shaped and is flanked by large, golden compound eyes that are occasionally banded with red.

They are octopods - possessing eight appendages total. Of these, two are known as truhands, four are known as trulegs, and the final set is an intermediary that can function as either an additional pair of arms or legs. In an evolution parallel to the insects of Earth, they lack lungs and instead breathe through a series of spiracle openings approximately at waist level. This has its downsides, however, and they are entirely unsuited for water, causing most of them to fear it. Not only can they easily drown if water goes past their waists, but they are also not naturally buoyant.

Trivia

 * The novel that the Thranx are from, the Humanx Commonwealth series, is written by Alan Dean Foster, the same author who wrote the novel based on the movie Alien.