Species
Any habitable world has the potential of developing different populations of intelligent beings that may, naturally or not, develop technologically. Sometimes, such beings reach a crucial point in their development that allows them access to FTL technology and, as a consequence, the ability to become full-fledged interstellar empires.
A species is distinct from an empire, as a population of any given species can in theory function as fully-fledged citizens of any given empire, however every empire will be assigned a specific founder species (designed through the empire creation screen) that is treated as the default in species rights and other mechanics. At first, every empire will be made up entirely of its original species but may eventually come to include other species through conquest, migration pacts, enlightening pre-FTL cultures, accepting refugees, or some events.
Species identity[edit | edit source]
At galaxy generation species are divided into species class groups, parent species and sub-species.
Playable portraits are divided into twelve phenotypes representing the basic commonalities of their biology as well as their closest analogues on Earth, including their morphology or physical form and structure, their developmental processes and their biochemical and physiological properties. The thirteenth Machine phenotype is available either through constructing robot pops or by playing a Machine Intelligence and includes mechanical representations of each of the twelve biological phenotypes. Some classes allow access to special traits or civics and/or are only available with DLC.
Species within the same class will be less affected by xenophobia and xenophilia, with the effect increasing if they share the same portrait. If two species are created during galaxy generation with the same portrait and name one will be considered the subspecies of the other.
A parent species is whichever subspecies can be considered the "default" that other subspecies can be derived from. A sub-species consists of a pop modification template created from the parent species or another sub-species, which can then be applied either through a modify species special project, through assimilation citizenship, or through pop construction. Subspecies are considered to be the same species for the purposes of xenophobia, xenophilia and species rights. All species templates will also remember the parent species' homeworld, with a +30% habitability bonus if not using the Lost Colony origin.
The portrait of a species can be changed through pop modification if the 
Genetic Resequencing technology is researched, but the nameset or species class cannot be changed. Some species do not allow changing portraits.
Species classes[edit | edit source]
Species are grouped by species classes, determining the core mechanics and features available to their pops.
| Species class | Trait | Phenotype | Upkeep resource | Multiplication | Modification | Additional mechanics | Available on start |
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| Biological | Any Organic phenotype besides Lithoid |  Food
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 Growth
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 Genetic
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Can create hybrid species with all biological groups | 
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| Lithoid |  Lithoid
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Lithoid |  Minerals
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Growth
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Genetic
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| Machine |  Machine
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Machine |  Energy
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 Assembly
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 Cybernetic
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Must use  Machine Intelligence authority
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| Robotic |  Mechanical
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Machine | Energy
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Assembly
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Cybernetic
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| Extradimensional |  Extradimensional
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Crisis | Energy
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Growth
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 Cannot be modified
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| Pre-Sapient |  Any pre-sapient trait
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Any Organic | None
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Cannot multiply
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 Uplifting
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Pre-Sapient Strata Does not wear clothes Can be  Uplifted into a species of Biological or Lithoid class.
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List of phenotypes[edit | edit source]
Each species portrait available to start a new empire will belong to one of the following phenotypes: Arthropoid (insect-like), Avian (bird-like), Fungoid (fungus-like), Humanoid (human-like), Mammalian (mammal-like), Molluscoid (invertebrates), Reptilian (reptile-like), Plantoid (part of the Plantoids Species Pack DLC), Lithoid (part of the Lithoids Species Pack DLC), Necroid (part of the Necroids Species Pack DLC), Aquatic (part of the Aquatics Species Pack DLC), Toxoid (part of the Toxoids Species Pack DLC) and Machine (part of the Synthetic Dawn DLC).
Each species can have traits and will have climate preference based on its homeworld.
The first ruler of every empire can be customized.
Humanoid[edit | edit source]
The humanoid phenotype uses different models and voices for each gender. Some portraits feature hairstyle customization and their own diplomacy voices. (Note: Humanoid shipset and city appearance are accessible only with 
Humanoids species pack launched.)
Human
Human (Legacy)
Humanoid #2
Humanoid #3
Humanoid #4
Humanoid #5
Humanoid HP #1
Humanoid HP #2
Humanoid HP #6
Humanoid HP #7
Humanoid HP #8
Humanoid HP #9
Humanoid HP #10
Humanoid HP #11
Humanoid HP #12
Humanoid HP #13
Humanoid HP #14
Elf
Humanoid HP #16
| Portrait | Female voice sample | Male voice sample |
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Mammalian[edit | edit source]
Most mammalian portraits have a unique dialogue when targeted with a diplomacy insult.
Slender #5
Massive #13
Normal #10
Massive #14
Slender #4
Normal #9
Massive #11
Normal #6
Slender #3
Massive #12
Normal #7
Massive #15
Slender #2
Normal #8
Slender #1
Massive #16
Ketling / Racket
Evil Porcupine #17
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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| Any |
Reptilian[edit | edit source]
Few portraits have their own diplomacy voices.
Slender #02
Normal #10
Massive #14
Slender #03
Normal #07
Massive #12
Normal #09
Massive #11
Normal #06
Massive #13
Slender #01
Normal #08
Slender #04
Massive #15
Slender #05
Gecko #16
Fairy Dragon #17
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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Avian[edit | edit source]
Few portraits have their own diplomacy voices.
Slender #01
Normal #08
Massive #13
Normal #10
Massive #15
Slender #04
Normal #07
Slender #05
Normal #09
Normal #06
Massive #11
Slender #03
Massive #14
Slender #02
Massive #12
Massive #16
Dinosaur Bird #17
Peacock Avian #18
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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Note: The Chirpy portrait (Massive #16) is available to those who login to their Paradox account while in-game.[1]
Arthropoid[edit | edit source]
Few portraits have their own diplomacy voices.
Massive #14
Normal #07
Massive #12
Normal #06
Slender #01
Massive #13
Normal #08
Slender #03
Slender #05
Normal #09
Normal #10
Massive #11
Massive #15
Arthropoid #19
Butterfly #18
Arachnoid #16
Larvae #20
Shadowy Arthropoid #17
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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Note: The Arachnoid (#16) portrait is included only in the Nova Edition or the Galaxy Edition of Stellaris.
Molluscoid[edit | edit source]
Few portraits have their own diplomacy voices.
Slender #03
Normal #07
Massive #13
Slender #02
Massive #14
Slender #04
Normal #08
Slender #01
Massive #11
Massive #12
Slender #05
Normal #06
Massive #15
Hydra / Xenomorph #16
Starfish #17
Snailien #18
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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Fungoid[edit | edit source]
Few portraits have their own diplomacy voices.
Fungoid #02
Fungoid #04
Fungoid #03
Fungoid #13
Fungoid #12
Fungoid #06
Fungoid #15
Fungoid #07
Fungoid #01
Fungoid #09
Fungoid #11
Fungoid #08
Fungoid #14
Fungoid #10
Fungoid Infected Mammalian #16
Prettyshroom #17
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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Plantoid[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Plantoids DLC or the Ancient Relics DLC enabled. |
The Homo Plantae portrait features hairstyle customization and different models for each gender.
(Note: Plantoid shipset and city appearance are accessible only with 
Plantoids species pack launched.)
Homo Plantae
Plantoid #02
Plantoid #06
Plantoid #01
Plantoid #11
Plantoid #03
Plantoid #13
Plantoid #07
Plantoid #15
Plantoid #10
Plantoid #05
Plantoid #09
Plantoid #14
Plantoid #04
Plantoid #08
Plantoid #12
Hivemind (Baol)
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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| Any |
Lithoid[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Lithoids DLC enabled. |
Most portraits have their own diplomacy voices. The Theian portrait features hairstyle customization and different models for each gender.
Theian
Golem #01
Lava #02
Geode #03
Angelic #04
Mantis #05
Symbiotic #06
Pyrite #07
Sedimentary #08
Spider #09
Spined #10
Levitating #11
Crystal #12
Exo #13
Snake #14
Unicorn #15
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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Necroid[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Necroids DLC enabled. |
Each portrait has its own diplomacy voice.
Mummalien #1
Suited Corpse #2
Overgrown #3
Hologram #4
Ascended #5
Exoskeletoid #6
Masked #7
Connectoid #8
Stasis Being #9
Boneworshipper #10
Death Worshipper #11
Palien #12
Feral Zombie #13
Energy Being #14
Skeletoid #15
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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Aquatic[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Aquatics DLC enabled. |
Some portraits of this phenotype feature different models for each gender. Each portrait has its own diplomacy voice.
Sneaky Jellyfish #1
The Ancient One #2
Crab-people #3
Green Cutie #4
Dolphinoid #5
Squidman #6
Coral-twins #7
Slugman #8
Shark-boi #9
Deep Sea Creature #10
Mobster-fish #11
Science-squid #12
Slime-boi #13
Blueman #14
Turtle-girl #15
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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Toxoid[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Toxoids DLC enabled. |
Some portraits of this phenotype feature different models for each gender. Each portrait has its own diplomacy voice.
Big Ooze #1
The Merchant #2
Tripple-head #3
Frogboy #4
Stinkbug #5
The Diplomat #6
Trumpet Alien #7
Tiny Diver #8
The Conch #9
Corrosion #10
Hyena Boy #11
Space Kermit #12
Capsule Alien #13
Blax #14
Pipeboi #15
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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Machine[edit | edit source]
Machines are not a naturally evolved species but rather an artificial one that can be constructed with the required technology or if by starting as a machine empire. The initial species template ucreated by the 
Robotic Workers technology or the Mechanist origin will always match the phenotype of the empire's founder species.
Humanoid
Mammalian
Reptilian
Avian
Arthropoid
Molluscoid
Fungoid
Plantoid
Lithoid
Reaper (Necroid)
Aquatic
Toxoid
Cube
Default
| Portrait | Voice sample | Original species class |
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Humanoid | |
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Mammalian | |
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Reptilian | |
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Avian | |
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Arthropoid | |
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Molluscoid | |
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Fungoid | |
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Plantoid | |
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Lithoid | |
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Necroid | |
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Aquatic | |
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Toxoid | |
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None | |
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Any if no DLC |
Note: The Cube portrait is available only to those who pre-purchased Stellaris Season 08 expansion pass.
Extradimensional[edit | edit source]
Extradimensional species are not selectable at empire creation and only appear as the Extradimensional Invaders crisis. However if the Astral Planes DLC is installed extradimensional pops can be obtained by conquering the Formless or subjugating them and forming a 
Migration Treaty.
Unbidden
Aberrant
Vehement
Formless
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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| All |
Unplayable[edit | edit source]
The following species are not playable and will only appear as a crisis or enclave.
Prethoryn Scourge
Contingency Custodian Bot
Shroudwalker
Salvager
| Portrait | Voice sample |
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Species-specific text[edit | edit source]
Each species will be assigned a Nameset at generation, which can be chosen from a total of 57 options consisting of four sets for each of the thirteen species phenotypes, in addition to two sets for Hive Minds and United Nations of Earth, Commonwealth of Man, and Senatus Populusque Romanus sets for Humans. A nameset outlines the different pools of random names used for leaders, ships (disincluding ship prefixes), colonies, and fleets within an empire of that founder species, though leader names will also carry over to full citizenship pops in other empires. Synthetic pops created by organic empires will typically adopt the nameset of the species that created them.
Each phenotype contains a small bank of preset names for the species, homeworld, and home star system in matching sets. Computer-generated empires will always use a matched species-planet-system set in addition to one of the four phenotype namesets. Human empires will instead use either the UNE or CoM namesets at random. The Hive Mind and SPQR sets do not appear except through the custom empire creation options.
Phenotype dialogue[edit | edit source]
When contacted, empires with a high opinion may compliment you while those with a low opinion may insult you. The flavor text depends on the ruler's species. Species that wear and do not wear clothes also have a special diplomatic insult with each other. Species phenotype also determines the name of the pre-FTL world in the starting system of empires with the 
Fear of the Dark origin.
| Phenotype | Compliment | Insult | Fear of the Dark world name
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| Human | angel | ape | Haven |
| Humanoid | sphinx |
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Haven |
| Mammalian | sphinx | beast | Den |
| Reptilian | dragon |
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Burrow |
| Avian | phoenix |
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Nest |
| Arthropoid | scarab | bug | Hidden Web |
| Molluscoid | kraken | parasite | Mantle |
| Fungoid | chanterelle | shroom | Hyphae |
| Plantoid | rose | weed | Pyrophyte |
| Lithoid | gem | coprolite | Geode |
| Necroid | specimen | husk | Necropolis |
| Aquatic |
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Anemone |
| Toxoid |
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Bunker |
| Machine |
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In addition, many messages will use strings specific to species phenotypes to refer to other things (e.g. organs and fossils).
| Phenotype | Juvenile | Sound | Organ | Mouth | Ear | Hand | Tooth | Fossil | Remnant |
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| Machine | immature processing unit |
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chipset | energy intake port | audio transducer | grappling clamp | nutrition compactor | rusted component | circuit board |
| Human | baby |
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stomach | mouth | ear | hand | tooth | fossil | skeleton |
| Humanoid | cub |
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stomach | mouth | ear | hand | tooth | fossil | skeleton |
| Mammalian | cub |
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stomach | mouth | ear | paw | tooth | fossil | skeleton |
| Reptilian | hatchling |
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venom gland | mouth | tympanum | claw | tooth | fossil | skeleton |
| Avian | chick |
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gizzard | beak | ear | claw | beak mandible | fossil | skeleton |
| Arthropoid | larva |
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mesenteron | mandible | tympanum | pincer | mandible | shell remnant | shell |
| Molluscoid | larva |
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cecum | radula | aural pad | tentacle | tooth | remnant | faint residue |
| Fungoid | spore |
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ascus | gill | sensory hypha | gripper | nutrition absorber | remnant | faint residue |
| Plantoid | seedling |
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nucellus | calyx | sensory stalk | tendril | root | fossil | dessicated stump |
| Lithoid | pebble |
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vug | maw | vescicle | appendage | masticatory shard | shard | lifeless boulder |
| Necroid | yearling |
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brumation sac | maw | ear | claw | tooth | fossil | skeleton |
| Aquatic | fry |
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swim bladder | maw | otolith | grappling fin | tooth | fossil | skeleton |
| Toxoid | spawn |
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digestive tract | maw | otolith | grappler | fang | fossil | skeleton |
References[edit | edit source]
| Exploration | Exploration • FTL • Unique systems • L-Cluster • Pre-FTL species • Fallen empire • Spaceborne aliens • Enclaves • Guardians • Marauders • Caravaneers |
| Celestial bodies | Celestial body • Colonization • Terraforming • Planetary features • Planet modifiers |
| Discovery | Discovery • Anomaly • Archaeological site • Astral rift • Relics |
| Species | Species • Traits • Population • Pop modification • Species rights • Ethics • Leader |
| Governance | Empire • Origin • Government • Civics • Policies • Edicts • Factions • Technology • Traditions • Situations |
| Economy | Resources • Planetary management • Districts • Buildings • Holdings • Jobs • Designation • Trade • Megastructures |
| Diplomacy | Diplomacy • Relations • Galactic community • Federations • Subject empires • Intelligence • AI personalities |
| Warfare | Warfare • Space warfare • Land warfare • Starbase • Ship • Ship designer • Crisis |
| Others | Events • The Shroud • Preset empires • AI players • Easter eggs • Modifiers |
