Phosbat

Phosbat
Appears in	Pikmin 3
Scientific name	Tectupervus pteromys
Family	Aerodentia
Areas	Distant Tundra
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	None
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	Beastly Caverns
Side Story days	None
Bingo Battle stages	None
Attacks	Eat Pikmin

The Phosbat (コカガミ^?, lit.: "Small Mirror") is an enemy found in Pikmin 3, and is the infant form of the Vehemoth Phosbat. It bears some notable resemblances to the adult form, including its orange wings, black, hairy head, and big bulging eyes that squint when exposed to light. The noises the Phosbat emits is also similar to that of the adult form. Its legs are stumpy, similar to those of the adult, but it lacks proper arms. It also lacks fluorescent lights upon its head, and only two fangs are visible in its mouth.

Phosbats can only live in dark environments, such as caves, and will take continuous damage as long as they are exposed to light. Therefore, they can easily be dealt with by throwing Pikmin at Common Glowcaps found in the caves where they grow. This will cause them to spring up and become a light source, scattering and damaging, potentially killing, all nearby Phosbats.

Phosbats are first found by Charlie in the Distant Tundra, being the first enemy to be seen in the game, and are later encountered again by Alph and Brittany, during the boss fight with the Vehemoth Phosbat, where they are spawned by Phosbat Pods. The pods are only activated after two of the smaller lights have been turned on, so it is possible to not encounter the Phosbats during this battle. After the boss is defeated, the pods close up and Phosbats are not encountered for the remainder of the game.

A group of 16 Phosbats can be found in Battle Enemies! mode for Beastly Caverns, directly under Alph's starting position. Despite being in such a large number, they are easy to defeat right at the beginning, as 10 Rock Pikmin are found in the area, as well as many Glowcaps. Each Phosbat killed provides 5 points, making a total of 80 points for killing them, accounting for close to 20% of the score for completing the challenge.

Stats

Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health
N/A	N/A	N/A	× 5  × 5	45

Notes

Alph's comments

“Structural flaw: photosensitivity
Weight: unknown

I've never seen a substance that completely dissipated under bright light before. Is it because it's a newborn and not yet fully formed? The front legs and wings are still a work in progress, but they make up for that with numbers. If you ever see something in a dark cave that looks like an egg, my advice is to destroy it while you still can.”

Brittany's comments

“They're so cute when they're young! How can you say no to those little chirpy noises and big, wet eyes? It's a shame they grow into something so awful. It makes me wonder what the captain was like in his youth.”

Charlie's comments

“This timid little guy was the first wild creature I met on this planet. I can't blame him for being scared, though. I freaked out a little when I saw those glowing mushrooms! Wait, no, forget that. How do you erase stuff on here?”

Louie's comments

“Perfect ingredient for hot pot night! Add to the broth while no one's looking for best results.”

Olimar's comments

 US version

“Phosbat
Tectupervus pteromys
Aerodentia family

This infant stage of the vehemoth phosbat has underdeveloped wings and cannot yet fly. It is sciophilous from birth to the point where even the low light of a common glowcap or a lightbulb will cause it to vaporize. The chromatophore excretions that the adult phosbat uses for camouflage are overwhelming to its fragile, infant form and cause apoptosis in excessive amounts. My own lamp does not trigger this reaction, possibly because its light is the wrong wavelength.”

 European version

“Phosbat
Tectupervus pteromys
Aerodentia family

This infant stage of the Vehemoth Phosbat has underdeveloped wings and cannot yet fly. It is sciophilous from birth to the point where even the low light of a common glowcap or a light bulb will cause it to vaporise. The chromatophore excretions which the adult Phosbat uses for camouflage are overwhelming to its fragile infant form, and cause apoptosis in excessive amounts. My own lamp does not trigger this reaction, possibly because its light is the wrong wavelength.”

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

“Phosbats aren't particularly strong, but they appear in large groups. These creatures are very sensitive to light – activate nearby Glowcaps or Light Bulbs to defeat any Phosbats caught in the resulting glow. If no light source is available, toss Pikmin onto individual Phosbats until the area is clear.”

Behavior

Phosbats are found in dark or dimly-lit areas and only pose any threat if the player comes very close to one. They tend to wander around in circles, not moving anywhere, and they will give a short and slow chase if they spot a leader or Pikmin with their limited range of sight. Their bites pose little threat to leaders, unlike the Bulborb Larva, and they die very quickly. When exposed to light from a Glowcap, they panic and run in circles.

Strategy

The following article or section contains guides. The strategies shown are just suggestions.

Phosbats are always found in groups, and Glowcaps are always nearby. Therefore, the quickest way to defeat them is by touching the caps with either a leader or a Pikmin, thus casting light over an area, damaging all Phosbats in the radius. If some are left alive, and chances are that a few will, then any type of Pikmin can be thrown at the creature's back to defeat it, similar to a Dwarf Bulborb.

Phosbats don't attack very often, and the area that they can cover with one bite is minimal. This makes them easy to defeat without any Pikmin deaths. If a Pikmin is caught, there is a good amount of time before the creature will swallow it, providing the opportunity to kill it with lights or another Pikmin.

Technical information

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name	kokagami
HP	45
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill	1
White Pikmin ingestions to kill	1
Bomb rock explosions to kill	1
Bomb rock ingestions to kill	0
Number of direct hits on top to kill	1
Damage to leaders	10
Territory radius	300
Mission Mode value	5

Naming

See more: Aerodentia family#Naming.

• Common name: Phosbat is a combination of two terms: "phos" means "light" in Greek, referring to how the Phosbat has the ability to bend light and turn invisible, at least in the adult stage, and also how it cannot withstand bright lights. "Bat" refers to how it looks and acts similar to real-life bats.
• Japanese nickname: コカガミ^?, lit.: "Small Mirror". Given that it is an infant, and how the mature creature can bend light, a bit like mirrors.
• Japanese name: オウモンコガクレ^?, lit.: "Yellow Pattern Hider". It is shared with its adult form.
• Scientific name: Tectupervus pteromys. Pteromys is the genus for several flying squirrels species, referencing the Phosbats' wings, specifically that of its adult form. It is also shared with its adult form.
• Internal names: The enemy's internal name, kokagami, matches the Japanese name.
• Prerelease: None.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	コカガミ? Ko Kagami	Small Mirror
Chinese (traditional)	小幽鏡怪
French	Broidugris	From Broidunoir (Vehemoth Phosbat), with noir (black) replaced with gris (grey)
German	Flederlum	Combination of Fledermaus (bat) and "Lumen", a unit for the intensity of light
Korean	꼬마유령거울
Spanish	Espectrolarva espejo	Mirror spectrelarva

Gallery

• 

  Close up of some Phosbats.

• 

  A close up of a blinded Phosbat.

• 

  A Phosbat eye.

• 

  Phosbats ducking to prevent being eaten by the Vehemoth Phosbat.

• 

  A Phosbat spawning out of a Phosbat Pod.

Trivia

• When Phosbats die, their eyes pop out of their heads and roll on the floor.
• The Phosbats in the opening sequence can eat Pikmin. However, they will not be counted as Pikmin casualties for the in-game reports.
• The particle effects that come out of dying Phosbat and Phosbat Pods, Pods spawning Phosbats, and Pikmin dusted by the Vehemoth Phosbat are all the same.
• It is actually possible for Phosbats to still be alive after the boss is defeated by not turning the big light on. To do this, the player has to defeat the Vehemoth Phosbat by continuously throwing Pikmin at it until it dies.
• Phosbats share several traits with grub-dogs and breadbugs, like similar teeth, 2 digits, similar claws and an overall similar body plan. Likewise, the Fireflap Bulborb has a similar wing structures to that of the Vehemoth Phosbat. Considering these similarities, it is very likely all 3 families are closely related.
  • The Vehemoth Phosbat lacking most of the features mentioned before could imply grub-dogs and breadbugs are neotenic.