Joustmite

Joustmite
Appears in	Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4
Scientific name	Trilobitins reversa
Family	Burrow-nit
Areas	Distant Tundra, Sun-Speckled Terrace (Olimar's Shipwreck Tale), Blossoming Arcadia (Story Mode and night)
Caves	Drafty Gallery, Engulfed Castle, Subterranean Swarm
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	Thirsty Desert
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	Distant Tundra Remix
Side Story days	Tundra, First Part Found
Dandori Challenge stages	Rockaway Cellars, Toggle Training
Dandori Battle stages	Leafy Showdown
Bingo Battle stages	None
Attacks	Stab and eat Pikmin

The Joustmite (カブリムシ^?, lit.: "Headgear-Wearing Insect") is an enemy in Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4. Joustmites behave similarly to the Cloaking Burrow-nit, and are closely related to them. They can be seen as an opposite of the Burrow-nit however, as Joustmites shields the front of their body, requiring the Pikmin to attack from behind. Flying variants, known as Flighty Joustmites, also appear in Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4.

Stats

Game	Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health
(?)	7	14 (normally)	6	× 30  × 30	450
	7	14	6 (0 glow pellets)	× 5	450

Notes

Alph's comments

“Structural flaw: hindquarters
Weight: 7

That shell is as hard as they come, so a frontal charge is no good. (You're liable to get skewered on its needle, anyway.) Try throwing Pikmin so they land on its soft, unprotected hind parts instead. Talk about a design oversight!”

Brittany's comments

“Ever seen a huge face buried in the ground? I have now. At first, I wondered where the rest of it might be. Would we find a buried fist? A buried knee? A buried belly button? Is it good or bad that we never will?”

Charlie's comments

 US version

“This greenish-blue soldier came prepared with a solid offense and defense. There's not so much plating in the rear, but that doesn't matter if you never plan to show the enemy your back. I salute its courage.”

 European version

“This greenish-blue beastie came prepared with a solid offence and defence. There's not so much plating at the back, but that doesn't matter if you never plan to show the enemy your back. I salute its courage.”

Louie's comments

 US version

“To create an elegant canapé with explosive flavor, remove shell and sear meat on both sides. Top with a dab of pesto.”

 European version

“To create an elegant canapé with explosive flavour, remove shell and sear meat on both sides. Top with a dab of pesto.”

Olimar's comments

“Joustmite
Trilobitins reversa
Burrow-nit family

Others within this family wear their shells on their bellies, but this one's shell functions more like a helmet. Its wings have atrophied into uselessness, so instead it burrows beneath the ground and pops out only to pierce prey with its needlelike proboscis and drain their bodily fluids. Larval joustmites remain underground for years, or even decades in some cases.”

Dalmo's notes

“The eyeball-like pattern on its shell reminds me of my father's eyes staring at me after we buried him in sand at the beach. We dug him out immediately when he gave us that look. Makes it easy to imagine what an effective deterrent those staring eyes must be to natural predators like birds.”

Olimar's notes (Pikmin 4)

“Others within this family wear their shells on their bellies, but this one's shell functions more like a helmet.

Its wings have atrophied into uselessness, so instead it burrows beneath the ground and pops out only to pierce prey with its needlelike proboscis and drain their bodily fluids.

Larval Joustmites remain underground for years, or even decades in some cases.”

Louie's notes (Pikmin 4)

“Boil in the shell with a pinch of salt until bright red, then serve piping hot with tartar sauce.”

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

“The Joustmite spends most of its time partially buried with its colorful shell protruding from the ground. When it senses nearby prey, this well-armored creature emerges and uses its retractable beak to skewer nearby victims.

Rock Pikmin cannot be damaged by the Joustmite's attacks, making them a very good option when facing this enemy. When you're leading a large squad, however, any combination of Pikmin can make short work of this enemy. Approach the Joustmite from the rear and attack the creature's fleshy body until you defeat it.”

Pikmin Garden

Text

“硬い殻で頭を守る、カブリムシ。前方からの攻撃にはめっぽう強い一方で、体の後ろはむき出しになっている。原種のハオリムシとは、守る位置が逆である。

特徴 その1 頭部を守る殻

獲物や外敵に向かってまっすぐ向かう性質があり、頭部を守るように殻が発達している。腹部はあらわになっていて、日中は地面に潜んでいることが多い。

(Image text: 赤い目のような紋は、鳥類などからの捕食を避けるため)

特徴 その2 針のような口

アゴの奥に長い針状の口吻を持ち、獲物に刺して体液を吸収する。

(Image text: 鋭くとがっている)”

Translation

“The Joustmite protects its head with a hard shell. While it is extremely resistant to attacks from the front, the back of its body is bare. The position of its protection is the opposite of that of the original Burrow-nit.

Feature #1: Shell protecting the head

The shell is developed to protect the head, due to its tendency to head straight for prey or enemies. Its abdomen is exposed, and it often lurks in the ground during the day.

(Image text: "The red eye-like pattern helps it avoid predation from birds and the like")

Feature #2: Needle-like mouth

It has a long, needle-like proboscis at the back of its jaw, which it uses to pierce its prey and absorb bodily fluids.

(Image text: "It is sharp and pointy")”

Behavior

A Joustmite stabbing three unfortunate Pikmin.

Just like the Cloaking Burrow-nit, the Joustmite hides partially buried in the ground, waiting for unsuspecting prey. Once a group of Pikmin enters the attack range of the enemy, it pops out from under the ground and proceeds to attack the player's Pikmin by attempting to use its long, needle-like proboscis to spear them. If any Pikmin are caught in this attack, they will be held in the air for a brief moment before being eaten. Unlike the Burrow-nit, the Joustmite can capture up to 3 Pikmin with this attack.

It should be noted that Rock Pikmin are immune to its stabbing attacks. The Joustmite can also shake off Pikmin, which also shakes its loose carapace. The enemy is rather slow-moving, making it easy to walk around and attack from behind.

Strategy

An almost defeated Joustmite being scanned.

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

As mentioned before, the Joustmite protects the front of its body, making it completely immune to frontal assaults. The most effective strategy is to approach it from behind without waking it up, and proceeding to swarm the creature. If the Joustmite is awake, you can still try to run behind it and proceed to throw Pikmin, or you can run away, and the Joustmite will go back underground. Rock Pikmin are immune to its attacks, making throwing them at the Joustmite's rear another effective strategy. The enemy eats Pikmin at a rather fast rate, so be aware.

Technical information

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name	kaburi
HP	450
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill	10
White Pikmin ingestions to kill	3
Bomb rock explosions to kill	1
Bomb rock ingestions to kill	0
Number of direct hits on top to kill	0
Damage to leaders	10
Territory radius	200
Mission Mode value	30

Other information

• Pikmin 4 Piklopedia number: #32

Naming

See more: Burrow-nit family#Naming.

• Common name: Joustmite. It is a combination of two words. "Joust" (or "jousting") is a medieval sport where two opponents riding on horses try to knock the other one off with a sharp lance, and refers to the Joustmite's sharp proboscis. The shell also greatly resembles a medieval knight's helmet. A "mite" is an arachnid.
• Japanese nickname: カブリムシ^?, lit.: "Headgear-Wearing Insect". カブリ^? refers to the act of covering one's head, especially with protective equipment, referring to its helmet-like carapace.
• Japanese name: サカサアカメバオリ^?, lit.: "Inverted Red Eye Haori".
• Scientific name: Trilobitins reversa. Reversa is similar to "reverse". This could be in reference to how players attack the creature (from the back, rather than the front) or even its reversed weak-point positioning compared to the Cloaking Burrow-nit.
• Internal names: Its internal name consists of only the first word of its Japanese nickname, kaburi (head).
• Prerelease: None.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	カブリムシ? Kaburi Mushi	Headgear-Wearing Insect
Chinese (traditional)	披甲蟲 Pījiǎ Chóng	Armor-Wearing Insect
Chinese (simplified)	披甲虫 Pījiǎ Chóng	Armor-Wearing Insect
Dutch	Helmmijt	Helmet-mite
French	Cachepique	Hidesting	The name is a portmanteau of "cache" (hide) and "pique" (pike/sting)
German	Gepanzerter Grabwicht	Armored Burrow Dwarf
Italian	Dorifora d'assalto	Assault burrow-nit
Korean	덮구벌레 Deopgu-Beolle	Cover Bug	From 덮구 (cover) and 벌레 (bug)
Portuguese	Soldadinho	Small soldier	The name is simply the diminutive form of the word "soldado" (soldier). This name is also commonly used to refer to insects in the Membracidae family
Spanish	Liendre astada	Horned nit

Gallery

Pikmin 3

• 

  Artwork of the Joustmite.

• 

  A Joustmite partially buried in the ground.

• 

  Rock Pikmin fight a Joustmite.

• 

  A frontal view of the Joustmite.

• 

  A side view of a wandering Joustmite.

• 

  A defeated Joustmite.

• 

  The data file on the Joustmite.

Pikmin 4

• 

  A render of a Joustmite.

• 

  The Joustmite's Piklopedia icon.

• 

  A Joustmite fighting some wild Ice Pikmin.

• 

  Two defeated Joustmites in the Piklopedia.

• 

  A Joustmite found in Sun-Speckled Terrace during Olimar's Shipwreck Tale.

• 

  A Joustmite in Subterranean Swarm attacking Rock Pikmin.

Trivia

• Unlike the Cloaking Burrow-nit, the Joustmite's death and shaking animations show that its shell is unattached to its body, making it more of a helmet than an actual shell.
• Although Louie's notes on the Joustmite in Pikmin 3 were unique from his notes on the Cloaking Burrow-Nit, in Pikmin 4 they were changed to be nearly identical. Comparatively, Olimar's notes are distinct in both games.

See also

• Flighty Joustmite
• Cloaking Burrow-nit