Trite

The Trite is an enemy found in Doom 3. Trites resemble spiders, being an upside-down human-like head with several spider-like legs, albeit only six of them. They possess a cluster of multiple spider-like eyes where the normal 2 human eyes should be. They usually attack in swarms, and are rarely seen alone.

Trites attack by jumping at the player from more than a dozen feet away, or by biting at close range. Although individually weak, a large swarm of Trites can be deadly and should be considered a major threat. Fortunately, Trites do not appear in huge groups often, and they have a low amount of HP, so only a couple of pistol shots are needed to kill one. Another good weapon to use against Trites (especially when you are greatly outnumbered by them) is the Machine gun. Trites die differently from other enemies; they curl up into a ball and explode in a splash of green blood.

They tend to surprise the player by crawling out of narrow spaces where the player cannot fit, or by dropping from ceilings with the aid of spider thread. Although new Trites often emerge to replace those the player kills, Trite swarms are not infinite, and will eventually cease attacking once the player kills enough of them.

Trivia:
The name "Trite" means two things:

1. A type of jumping spider.

2. A synonym for the term "overused".

Trites appearance is similar to that of Ticks. This could suggest that that they are either related as different species are the same species but of different ages (Trites could simply be older ticks,) or they are actually different sexes of the same species.

Owing to their spider appearance and tendency to appear around Vagaries, it is conceivable to think that perhaps Vagaries are Adult or "Queen" Trites.

The Trite bears a striking resemblance to one of the monsters in John Carpenter's movie The Thing.

See Also:

 * Tick (similar to the Trite)