Appearance:

• Color: The creature is predominantly a vibrant shade of purple.
• Eyes: Large, prominent, and glowing yellow eyes give it an otherworldly look.
• Legs: Altarians have multiple jointed legs, similar to those of an insect or arachnid, that appear strong and sturdy.
• Body Structure: The body is segmented, resembling an ant or mantis, with a tough, chitinous exoskeleton.
• Antennae: The creature has two long, segmented antennae extending from its head, which are also purple and textured.
• Mandibles: Some visible mandibles or mouthparts appear to be designed for grasping or chewing.

Senses:

1. Visual: Eyes adapted to lower light levels, potentially seeing into the infrared spectrum due to the colder environment.
2. Olfactory: Enhanced sense of smell to detect chemical changes in the ammonia-rich environment.
3. Tactile: Sensitive skin or appendages to sense pressure and temperature changes.
4. Auditory: Hearing is adapted to lower frequencies, given that sound travels differently in ammonia.

How Does It Communicate:

1. Chemical Signals: They communicate using pheromones or other chemical signals dispersed through the ammonia medium.
2. Vocalizations: Low-frequency sounds adapted to travel efficiently in ammonia. This is done by rapidly rubbing two of their limbs together.
3. Visual Displays: Color changes or bioluminescence for visual communication in low-light conditions.

What Would It Consume for Fuel:

1. Organic Compounds: They would likely consume ammonia-soluble organic molecules.
2. Hydrogen and Nitrogen Compounds: Metabolizing hydrogen (H2) and nitrogen-based compounds (NH3, N2) for energy.

What Environments Would Be Deadly to the Life Form:

1. High Temperatures: Environments above the boiling point of ammonia (-28°F or -33.34°C) would be lethal, causing rapid evaporation of the solvent.
2. Water-Rich Environments: Water would be toxic, disrupting their ammonia-based biochemistry.
3. Oxygen-Rich Environments: High oxygen levels could lead to combustion or chemical reactions harmful to ammonia-based life.

Circumstances Where Ammonia Solvent Could Explode or Catch on Fire

1. Flammability: Ammonia is flammable when mixed with air in concentrations between 16% and 25% and can ignite if an ignition source is present.
2. Oxidizers: The presence of strong oxidizers, such as chlorine or fluorine gases, can lead to explosive reactions.
3. High Temperatures: Exposure to high temperatures can cause ammonia to decompose into nitrogen and hydrogen, which could ignite.