The Talikra is a big winged insect native to VOI 700 D that lives in the Eastern Equatorial Section of the Habitual Belt and the Dark Side.

Adult Talikra specimens can grow up to 20 centimeters in length and 3,5 cm in body diameter. They have eight legs, four of which are stronger than the others and serve as springs for long jumps, similar to the hind legs of locusts on Earth. With them, Talikra can jump up to three meteres when confronted with one their predators - among them are the Coyote-like Korozo which hunt in packs and sniff out their prey with keen noses, the swift and silent two-headed snake Naka Tula, and the birds of prey Zapor which attack from above.

Talikra feed mainly on and breed near Luminofera dualis. This glowing mushroom is very high-caloric for Talikra larvae with their efficient digestive system. In their reproductive stage, adult Talikra eat their way inside the big mushrooms or through their mycelium in the ground, and lay their egg sacs there.

Migrating from mushroom to mushroom, Talikra play an important role in disseminating their spores. They also stimulate their growth via a special pheromone: When hatching, the larvae emit a messenger substance into the soil that prompts the mycelium to build new sporocarps (fruiting bodies).

This mechanism has been utilised by the Humans in the Gamma Age to establish colonies of Luminofera dualis along the southeastern section of Trade Route on the Dark Side of VOI 700 D. After harvesting the substance from young Talikra and examining it, humans have managed to bioengineer the substance in a lab.

Talikra usually stay on, or for safety reasons preferably in, the ground. They only fly when they need to cover long distances, e.g. when looking for an adequate breeding ground. Because they are so closely dependent on Luminofera dualis, Talikra aren't usually found too far away from them. On the Dark Side, the warmth of Luminofera dualis keeps the insects close by, as they cannot survive for a very long time at temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius.

Their dependency on Luminofera dualis makes Talikra predictable, and thus easy prey, for clever predators like Korozo. With their keen noses Korozo can smell the insects from afar. Talikra are especially vulnerable when leaving or entering a mushroom tunnel. In this brief moment of disorientation and reduced mobility, they can be grabbed easily.