Tarsals (Plastic Insect Order)

Tarsals are an order of plastic insects characterized by their huge hind tarsal claws, their fused elytra, and their airborne predatory lifestyle. They are rare on the Terran continent but abundant in the Americas.

Description
Descended from beetles, tarsals have small, three-segmented bodies with one huge fused elytron and delicate, precision-shaped hindwings positioned beneath it. Their bodies are aerodynamically curved in a crescent moon shape.

Tarsals spend most of their time hovering in a single spot waiting for prey to approach. They are ambush predators, and many employ camouflage to disguise themselves as a type of berry or branch outgrowth, seeking out that plant to hover near. When prey nears, the tarsal will quickly swoop in and capture it with its sharp hind claws, holding it still and repeatedly puncturing it on sharp claw spikes. Due to their specialized wing structure and the ability to hold themselves upright, they are capable of eating struggling, still-living prey while hovering in one spot, passing the prey with their basket-like middle and front legs up to the mouth and holding it in place.

In Salticid Society
Many salticids, especially North and South American cultures, use Tarsal elytra as decoration for clothing and architecture.