Our agents' recovery mission has proved successful, supplying us with several of Myopsida's Gauntii specimens. The first subject of study is a most peculiar specimen assigned MYOP-GG/05. The general body plan resembles that of standard Gauntii gladius bioforms, yet the gaunt exhibits a biomorph generally only found in more monstrous bioforms such as the Carnifex. Its foreclaws have morphed into crushing claws, a highly unusual adaptation that suggests a niche role in the greater swarm. Survivor eyewitness reports emphasize the particular deadliness of this Gaunt species, and as such it has come to be known as the Mortegaunt, hereby designated as Gauntii gladius ssp. mortus. As is reported in other Gauntii subspecies hailing from the Karthago Reach, this subspecies features excessive chitinous growth along both the mandible and over the orbita. Although such growths should logically impede on sight, there is of yet no indication of reduced visual capability in these species.

Data logs obtained from the wreckage of [DATA REDACTED] note the Mortegaunt as the first species encountered after contact with Myopsida's boarding vessels. Structural analysis of the wreckage revealed extensive damage to corridor bulkheads separating the ship's compartments coinciding with the Xenos' entry-point. The twin crushing claws and a front-heavy carapace apparently enable the Mortegaunt to strike through solid Plasteel, making it effective at breaking defense lines. It seems the Mortegaunt is ubiquitously deployed in the boarding actions of Hive Fleet Myopsida, functioning as a shock trooper capable of clearing ship hulls and heavily armoured personnel. As such, its role is specialized to eliminate frontline resistance, allowing for the other members of its specialized clutch to seep through and sow chaos among a voidship's denizens.

Specialized teams of Gauntii subspecies were first encountered in 3.652.009M42 in the Psylona Secundus system, and have since been sighted across the Karthago Reach. Their unique adaptations and mode of attack have only intensified rumours among imperial forces in the sector, and as such these subspecies have been assigned the moniker "The Masked Breachers of Psylona Secundus."

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