Crystal-Shelled Bulbling

The Crystal-Shelled Bulbling is a species of grub-dog appearing in Pikmin: Spectrum. Although they mainly inhabit underground environments, they have been seen aboveground as well.

Crystal-Shelled Bulblings are similar in size to dwarf bulborbs and other species of breadbug mimics, but they have the same DNA structure as true bulborbs. They are also not young members of the same species, like the Dwarf Bulbear is to the Spotty Bulbear, and as such are labeled as bulblings to denote an adult bulborb species similar in size to a dwarf bulborb.

As the name suggests, Crystal-Shelled Bulblings have a shell on their backsides consisting of a quartz-like substance, which makes them impervious to any normal Pikmin attack except the hard slams of Rock Pikmin or being blasted by a bomb rock. Underneath their shell, these bulblings have a pale blue hide lacking the signature dot patterns of other members of its species and it instead has tiny spots resembling freckles.

Olimar's notes

 * "Fascinating, recent discoveries have shown that these members are true grub-dogs but aren't larval members like the bulbear. As such, I classified them as a separate species from their larger relatives. These particular members release a special secretion on their bodies that hardens in the air allowing them to create a shell to protect themselves from predators."

Louie's cooking tips

 * "Clean any secretions off the meat to make it as clean as possible. The meat is soft enough for making fillets or sausages. All in all a very adaptable ingredient."