Flutterbie family

The flitterbie family is a family of enemies in Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3. It consists of small butterfly-like insects that pose no threat to Pikmin or leaders. They merely flutter about, occasionally landing, and aren't worth many seeds or Pokos, but some of them can drop valuable rewards after death: nectar or a spray drop. Their color indicates what they might drop, if anything.

The creatures in this family aren't distinguished by color in Pikmin 2, but they are in Pikmin 3.

Members

Red Spectralid

File:Red spectralids.png

Main article: Red Spectralid.

The Red Spectralid appears in the Garden of Hope and a few Mission Mode stages. Upon defeat, it releases a drop of ultra-spicy spray. In Pikmin 2, they aren't distinguished from other Flitterbies, and in clusters of Unmarked Spectralids, 10% of them are red.

Unmarked Spectralid

File:Unmarked Spectralids Art.png

Main article: Unmarked Spectralid.

The name "Unmarked Spectralid" is used to refer to any of the three types of Spectralid found in Pikmin 2: yellow, red, and purple. These creatures are only found in the Awakening Wood aboveground, but are more common in caves. Red and purple Spectralids only appear underground, too. Upon defeat, they have a 20% chance of dropping nectar (yellow), a drop of ultra-spicy spray (red) or a drop of ultra-bitter spray (purple); this chance is 100% on the Awakening Wood. They usually appear in swarms, with 80% of them being yellow.

White Spectralid

Main article: White Spectralid.

White Spectralids are of a color introduced in Pikmin 3. Unlike the remaining Spectralids, these drop no special rewards when defeated, and seeing as they're only worth one Pikmin seed, they're usually more trouble than they are worth. Nevertheless, they appear near the landing site or an Onion, making them useful if the player wants to help grow an army with minimal exploration.

Yellow Spectralid

Main article: Yellow Spectralid.

Yellow Spectralids appear more commonly than Red Spectralids, and upon defeat, they release a drop of nectar. In Pikmin 2, they are not distinguished from other Spectralids, and in underground swarms, 80% of them are yellow; overground, all clusters of Flitterbies are consisted of yellow Spectralids.

Naming

The family's name is a play on a letter swap of the word "butterfly" ("flutterby"), but using "flitter" instead of "flutter", which is a possible substitute. The members' names are also related to the word spectral, referring to their vibrant colors. The Japanese names for the Spectralids use the word シジミ^?, meaning "freshwater clam". This is likely due to their large wings making them look like a bivalve.

The scientific name for the Unmarked Spectralids is fenestari prismatus. Fenestari is close to fenestra, which roughly means "bending". This word might reference how their wings bend back and forth. Prismatus is similar to "prism", possibly a nod to how triangular prisms can disperse light in a colorful rainbow; color variety being a strong theme in the naming and nature of the Spectralids.

Internally, all Umarked Spectralids are identified as shijimichou, which is a combination of the aforementioned シジミ^? (lit.: "freshwater clam") and ちょう^? (lit.: "butterfly"). In Pikmin 3, all Spectralids have the same ID, shijimi.

Interestingly, in Pikmin 3, each color of Spectralid is identified differently, but the name presented on the lock-on interface is in plural, e.g. "Red Spectralids". This seems to be the result of a mistake, given that all other creatures in the game show a singular name when being locked-on (e.g. "Water Dumple"). To note, however, is that the arguably canon Prima guide descriptions call the creatures using their plural name as if it was singular. This results in sentences such as “The Red Spectralids is another harmless flying creature.”. It is not clear if the lock-on screen's pluralized name is purposeful or if it's the result of a mistake. For clarity's sake, it is assumed that the normal singular names use the word "Spectralid", not "Spectralids".