List of arthropods

Version 0.13: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Considering that the Dungeon is a dark, dank place filled with moist corners and rotting corpses, it's no surprise that it contains countless creepy-crawlies ranging in size from freakishly huge to terrifyingly gargantuan. Crawl's many arthropods are some of the weaker opponents you'll encounter, but they shouldn't be underestimated; a great many of them have poisonous bites or stings, more than a few also come with exotic and dangerous special abilities, and they tend to come in swarms. While there are some exceptions, vulnerability to Poison Magic is a common arthropod weakness. Many of them leave poisonous corpses, so Ignite Poison is also quite effective. They lack internal skeletons, so Necromancers are unable to raise them as skeletons (they may still be zombified, however).

Arthropods in general are fairly common throughout the Dungeon and the Lair, but certain varieties are quite common in other areas. The Spider's Nest is, well, full of spiders.

Ants

B Worker ant- Poisonous critters that seek out puny adventurers to drag back to their nests.

B Soldier ant- The sort of giant ant that can chomp through armour and shake off stab wounds. Extra poisonous!

B Queen ant- Although a heavy hitter in melee, her slow speed makes her much less intimidating than her minions.

Beetles

B Goliath beetle- Slow enough for even nagas to kite, but durable enough to make you wonder if it's worth the effort.

B Boring beetle- Beefy, but easily avoided. They tend to turn any floor with rock walls to swiss cheese if left to their own devices.

B Boulder beetle- These tanks normally lumber along slowly, but they can suddenly start rolling at break-neck speed.

Crabs

t Fire crab- Scuttling pyromaniac menaces that turn the Dungeon into a furnace with their fire breath.

t Apocalypse crab- Rare Abyss-dwellers that bathe their prey in the unpredictable forces of raw chaos.

Flying Insects

y Killer bee- Painful alone and deadly in swarms, these pack hunters are a menace to the unprepared.

y Queen bee- Although extremely venomous, her lack of maneuverability makes her easy to deal with.

y Yellow wasp- Although slower than killer bees, their stings slow and paralyse their victims.

y Red wasp- An oversized yellow wasp dyed red in the blood of its victims.

y Vampire mosquito- Pesky undead insects that will happily suck the unwary dry.

Moths & Butterflies

b Butterfly- Harmless and pretty and occasionally in the way.

y Moth of suppression- Sickly moths that suppress all magical items within their zone of effect.

y Moth of wrath- These fluttering nuisances are capable of enraging anything they come across.

y Ghost moth- Invisible psychic predators with debilitating poisons.

y Polymoth- Fluttering menaces that constantly polymorph nearby monsters.

Spiders

s Spider- Scuttling poisonous pests. Individually weak, but they come in swarms.

s Jumping spider- A hyperactive spider which leaps in and out of combat, covering you in sticky silk all the while.

s Trapdoor spider- Cowardly vermin that strike those who walk past their hiding places and retreat underground when injured.

s Tarantella- Strange spiders with bites that disorient their prey.

s Redback- A notoriously venomous arachnid, capable of seriously poisoning even those who are resistant.

s Wolf spider- A powerful spider capable of tearing foes apart even without its venom.

s Orb spider- Cowardly, unnatural spiders that launch orbs of devastating energy at their foes.

Unique Spiders

H Arachne- Formerly human, this hybrid creature rules over and defends the Spider's Nest with powerful Poison Magic and endless webbing.

Other Arthropods

B Giant cockroach- Common pests of the upper floors of the Dungeon, they're mostly harmless.

s Giant mite- Bloated, poisonous vermin found in the early Dungeon.

s Scorpion- One of the earliest opponents capable of seriously poisoning careless adventurers.

s Emperor scorpion- The beefiest arthropod of them all, they shrug off blows that would fell lesser bugs.

s Giant centipede- Although fragile, their poison stings can be hazardous.

s Demonic crawler- Swift, hellish arthropods that partially resist most elements, including poison.

Retired Arthropods

a Ant larva- Baby ants that were about as threatening as a goblin with three limbs missing.

k Bumblebee- Bigger, solitary bees with a much less terrifying history of player deaths than the killer variety.

b Chaos butterfly- Dangerous Abyssal butterflies that created raging storms with every flap of their wings.

History

0.13 - Added polymoths

0.12 - Added moths of suppression and chaos butterflies, and removed bumblebees and ant larvae. Chaos butterflies were disabled soon after due to flooding issues.

trunk - Removed chaos butterflies