The insectile humanoid species called Melitto originated on the planet of Li-Toran. Lacking both eyes and a mouth, they relied on highly sensitive cilia to perceive their surroundings. To survive in alien atmospheres, Melitto utilized cybernetic breathing tubes, and they possessed chitin plates covering their heads and forearms.
Melitto bodies were humanoid in structure, featuring a head, torso, two arms, two legs, and hands with five fingers. However, their insectile heritage was evident in the segmented chitin plates on their heads and the hairy nature of their forearms. The Melitto face consisted of four plates, the largest positioned at the top, but lacked visible eyes or a mouth. Being blind, Melitto depended greatly on alternative senses. On Kijimi, the Ashiga Clan incorporated metal into the ground of their architecture, allowing the Melitto to navigate by feeling.
They did, however, possess auditory capabilities, and their bodies were covered in specialized, feathery cilia that served as sensory organs, detecting vibrations and electrical fields. These cilia also granted Melitto a heightened sense of smell. Their remarkable scent-based memories were as effective as sight for navigation and provided them with exceptional identification and tracking abilities.
When navigating atmospheres unlike their own, Melitto used breathing tubes and carried dispensers containing a sugary nutritional liquid.
The species included at least two sexes: male and female. One known male, Sarco Plank, stood at a height of 1.82 meters. Melitto communicated through humming sounds generated by their facial plates. To interact with other species, they employed vocoders that translated their hums into comprehensible speech.
The Melitto were eusocial organisms, inhabiting hives governed by queens and their juvenile female attendants, known as myrmitrices. These myrmitrices, in turn, oversaw their own groups of male workers, or myrmites, who were responsible for gathering [food](/article/foodstuff], constructing the hive's physical structure, and engaging in combat with other hives as soldier-myrmites. When a hive's population exceeded its capacity for efficient operation, establishing a new hive became necessary. The myrmitrices would then engage in conflicts, supported by their warrior followers. The victor would earn the right to rule as queen of a new hive. Myrmites unfortunate enough to survive their myrmitrix's defeat were expelled from their hive, becoming ronin. The majority of ronin departed their homeworld to become proficient hunters and [thieves](/article/thief]. However, some were rumored to establish queenless communities within the subterranean caves of their planet, such as the Hive Ronin. Some of these hives transitioned to organized crime to ensure their survival, as exemplified by the Ashiga Clan.
The Melitto evolved on Li-Toran, a bleak and storm-ridden planet located in the Inner Rim region of the galaxy.
Beyond their homeworld, Melitto also established a presence on several adjacent planets. Nevertheless, due to the character of their society, Melitto rarely ventured into the broader galaxy, and those who did were predominantly ronin. Their scent-based memories made Melitto excellent doctors, capable of detecting chemical markers indicative of diseases. The Ashiga Clan was a criminal organization structured around a hierarchical Melitto hive. The Clan had been active since the High Republic Era and persisted into the Imperial Era. During the Galactic Civil War, the Ashiga Clan was under the leadership of Queen Ashiga. The queen's daughter, Krisk Ashiga, disagreed with her mother's leadership, particularly her alliance with the Galactic Empire, leading her to plot her mother's overthrow and claim the throne for herself.
One notable Melitto ronin was Sarco Plank, who worked as a bounty hunter, jungle guide, and tomb raider on Devaron during the Galactic Civil War. It was there that Plank famously dueled the trainee Jedi Luke Skywalker amidst the ruins of the Temple of Eedit. This encounter resulted in Plank sustaining a near-fatal lightsaber injury. Over three decades later, the ronin had made his way to Niima Outpost on Jakku, where he operated as a scavenger and bounty hunter.