Klixen
Biographical information
Homeworld:	Tarith
Status:	Active
Physical information
Height:	6.2cm
Skin color:	Reddish bergundy
Eye color:	Yellow
Lifespan:	4 years
Distinctions:	Dual-eyes. Quadpedal. Two horns. Forward-facing legs. Pointed back. Dextro-amino chirality. One heart. Four lungs. Can breathe fire (Tarith klixen only).
Types:	Tarith klixen (fire breathing) Tuchanka klixen (symbiotic relationship with Udirron
Political and military information
Nomenclature:	Creatura Flammae Flame Beetle Fire Crab

"So...giant, man-eating, fire-breathing beetles. That is not a sentence I expected to leave my mouth."

— Cerberus officer describing her opinion on a klixen.

Klixen (Latin: Creatura Flammae, literally meaning "creature of flame"), colloquially referred to by humans as Flame Beetles or Fire Crabs, are a sentient organic quadrupedal species native to their homeworld of Tarith and of the insecta classification. Resembling a mixture of a beetle and a crab from Earth, klixen are a carnivorous, highly territorial species that usually travel in packs of up to five, and are the apex predator on their home planet of Tarith. Due to Tarith's significant concentration of chlorine in its atmosphere, shrouding the planet in a fog of green haze, klixen evolved to breathe in chlorinated atmospheres, making them perfectly adapted to surviving in such conditions where most species could not, and due to their slow movement speed as a result of their large size, they are forced to use the fog to ambush and catch their prey, lurking within the haze until a victim gets too close. Klixen lay clutches of eggs to reproduce, carrying them in a sack under their belly and carry them to term, at which point they can spawn upwards of ten new klixen at a time, although many can die in the process. The most unique characteristic of a klixen is its extremely tough hide, its extended jaw filled with needle-like teeth and its ability to exhale flames, granting it limited flame-breathing capability that allow it to immolate a victim over a short range. This ability comes from a large amount of built up gas that is stored within a klixen's lungs and stomach and, due to chlorine being highly flammable when in contact with gas, this creates the ability for Tarith-native klixen to breathe fire in limited amounts. However, this comes with a downside, as gunfire that pierces inside a klixen will likely cause enough explosive friction to detonate the gas inside, causing an explosion that will blow up the klixen, and cause damage to the surrounding area. This fire-breathing ability is largely limited to Tarith klixen however, due to the lack of the chlorine mixture on other worlds they inhabit.

Ever since their discovery in 420 BCE by the Thessian Republics, klixen have spread to multiple worlds, including the krogan homeworld of Tuchanka, where the harsh environment proved a suitable climate for them to flourish, albeit they often fell prey to Tuchanka's apex predator, the thresher maw. The Tuchanka klixen are unique in that they at some point developed a symbiotic relationship with the Udirron species, with Udirron using klixen to protect their nests in exchange for acting as an airborne transport for klixen to transport them from one hunting ground to another: this unusual relationship is something not always seen in the galaxy's animal kingdom, and remains a fascinating phenomenon unique to Tuchanka's klixen. Despite attempts by the Batarian Hegemony and the Tuchankan Empire to domesticate and use them as beasts of war, the klixen remain uncontrollable, attacking anyone they see as a threat, including other klixen. The only instance of klixen being tamed and controlled was when the Reapers captured hundreds of klixen during the Reaper War to turn into husks, turning them into husks known as "turtles", where they were used as mobile "battering rams" to smash through fortifications and other defensive earthworks.