The original inhabitants of the planet known as Rutan were the Rutanians. A derivative group of this species, the Senali, lived on Rutan's moon, also called Senali. The Yuuzhan Vong incited conflict between these two groups, which resulted in both Rutan and Senali being weakened and exposed to potential invasion.
The Rutanians' design draws inspiration from Loje Nella, a sentient cliffborer worm.