Desiccated Skitter Leaf

Desiccated Skitter Leaf
Appears in	Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4
Scientific name	Rus mortifeuillea
Family	Skitterling
Areas	Distant Tundra, Twilight River
Caves	Secluded Courtyard
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	Shaded Garden
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	Thirsty Desert, Shaded Garden, Twilight River Remix, Beastly Caverns
Side Story days	Tundra
Dandori Challenge stages	None
Dandori Battle stages	None
Bingo Battle stages	Twisted Cavern, Stagnant Sea, Parched Brook, Buried Pond
Attacks	Grab and eat Pikmin

The Desiccated Skitter Leaf (カレハンボ^?, lit.: "Desiccated Leaf Pond Skater") is an enemy introduced in Pikmin 3. It is a hostile Skitterling, contrary to the harmless Skitter Leaf. It disguises itself as a withered leaf. It scuttles around with great speed, and can snatch a Pikmin with what appear to be claws and devour it within a split second. These creatures are usually found in the Twilight River, as they are camouflaged almost flawlessly by the dirt and fallen leaves. They are especially irritating when having Pikmin carry back spoils or fruit. One must be careful and be sure to check the area to rid of any Desiccated Skitter Leaves before starting the day. In Mission Mode, they are found in larger groups, typically around 6-8 per group, posing more of a threat. It produces noises similar to those of a Skitter Leaf, but its sounds much more aggressive. Also like the other Skitterling, upon death, it slowly floats to the ground, and produces a soft noise. It is easy to carry, requiring one Pikmin, and unlike the Skitter Leaf, it is useful for Pikmin cultivation, producing three sprouts. Although they are hard to spot when camouflaged amongst the dead leaves, they can be highlighted if the cursor passes over them.

Stats

Game	Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health
(?)	1	1	3	× 5 × 5	74
	1	1	3	× 1	74

Notes

Alph's comments

“Structural flaw: back
Weight: 1

This is good camouflage. When you see a lone green leaf on the ground, that's suspicious. But a lone dead leaf? Nobody looks twice at those. Very well thought out.”

Brittany's comments

“Dead leaves are good. You can turn them into mulch and plant fruit trees, making something great out of something gross. The Pikmin know what I'm talking about, because they love dragging these guys back to the Onion to do the same thing.”

Charlie's comments

US version

“These cowards act like dead leaves, then jump out and attack the Pikmin while we aren't watching. The only defense is to treat every dead leaf you see as a mortal threat! Sure, it's tiring to see danger everywhere I look, but that's a small price to pay for saving lives!”

European version

“These sneaks act like dead leaves, then jump out and attack the Pikmin while we aren't watching. The only defence is to treat every dead leaf you see as a mortal threat! Yes, it's tiring to see danger everywhere I look, but it's a small price to pay to save lives!”

Louie's comments

US version

“No preparation needed to enjoy this flavorful beast! Its natural crunch gives way to an intriguing mouthfeel.”

European version

“No preparation needed to enjoy this flavourful beast! Its natural crunch gives way to an intriguing mouthfeel.”

Olimar's comments

“Desiccated Skitter Leaf
Rus mortifeuillea
Skitterling family

The skitterling variant that resembles dead leaves. Its legs have developed in specific ways: the front claws capture prey, while the flat hind legs are suited for running and swimming. Its highly tuned senses keep it still for any creature but Pikmin. Once it gets its claws on its prey, it doesn't easily let go. Recent research has revealed that its camouflage has a second purpose beyond hunting. Scavengers are fooled by its disguise into carrying its eggs, thereby expanding the population.”

Pikmin 3 Website

“It may look like a leaf, but this critter is just using camouflage to trick its prey.”

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

“Like the standard Skitter Leaf, the Desiccated Skitter Leaf uses its leaf-shaped body to blend into the environment. However, this enemy not only utilizes much better camouflage, it uses its spiked forelegs to slice through any Pikmin it manages to capture.

When you spot a Desiccated Skitter Leaf, toss a single Pikmin on its back to defeat the creature before it manages to attack. Each time you reach a patch of brown leaves, take a moment to search for any enemies that may be hiding within it.”

Behavior

When there is nothing happening, Desiccated Skitter Leafs idle around on the ground, disguised as leafs. If lonesome Pikmin get near them, they pop out of their disguise and quickly attack. However, they are afraid of leaders, so if one gets close, whether accompanied by Pikmin or not, it will stand still to avoid being found out. If a leader bumps into one that is hiding, it will stop disguising and run around in a panic, in hopes of evading the leader. While in this panicked state, they can still stop to snatch a Pikmin or two, but are much less likely to do so.

Strategy

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

Although they are agile, Desiccated Skitter Leaves are extremely frail, and will die instantly if a Pikmin is thrown on top of one. Winged Pikmin are the only exception because they can crush a resting Desiccated Skitter Leaf, but not an active one. These creatures can snatch and eat Pikmin quickly, so if one is on the attack, caution must be taken. Interestingly, these creatures cannot eat Pikmin if the latter are holding bomb rocks: nothing will happen to them and they will continue carrying their bombs.

In most cases Desiccated Skitter Leaves are not hard to spot lying on the ground, and it is best for you to defeat them while they are still in a resting state; one Pikmin of any type will defeat it if landed directly on it. If these creatures are found in a group, you should either play hit-and-run and take them out one at a time, calling the Pikmin back as soon as it is thrown, or approach with a large group of Pikmin and throw quickly in hopes of defeating all of them before any casualties can occur. If any bomb rocks are in the area, you could consider using one to minimize chance of loss, but this is not recommended in most cases, as Desiccated Skitter Leaves are never too much of a problem to deal with on your own.

Technical information

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name	`karehambo`
HP	74
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: Skitterling family#Naming.

Common name: Desiccated Skitter Leaf. Something that is desiccated is dry or dehydrated. Desiccated Skitter Leafs, compared to the common Skitter Leaf, imitate a dried tree leaf in autumn.
Japanese nickname: カレハンボ^?. It comes from カレハ^?, which translates to "dry leaf", and ハンボ^?, the Skitter Leaf's Japanese nickname.
Japanese name: トゲカレハムシ^?, lit.: "Spiky Dry Leaf Insect".
Scientific name: Rus mortifeuillea. Mortifeuillea is French for "deadly leaf".
Internal names: Its internal name is simply its Japanese nickname – karehambo.
Prerelease: None.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	カレハンボ^? Kare Hanbo	Dessicated Leaf Pond Skater
Chinese (traditional)	枯葉水黽
French	Feuille animale séchée	Dried animal leaf
German	Raubblatt	Predatory Leaf
Italian	Foglia finta secca	Dry fake leaf
Korean	마른잎사귀쟁이
Portuguese (NoA)	Saltifolha seca	Dry Jumping Leaf	"Saltfifolha" is a portmanteau of "saltitar" (jump) and "folha" (leaf)
Spanish	Pisaátomos hoja otoñal	Autumn atomstomper leaf