A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Iratus bugs are dark, clawed parasites native to the Pegasus Galaxy. In Thirty Eight Minutes, one attaches to Sheppard's neck and continues feeding despite attempts to remove or injure it. The creature's resilience turns an apparently minor animal encounter into a medical emergency aboard a trapped Puddle Jumper. Later visits to nests reveal communal cave habitats, hanging webbing and substantial egg sacs rather than a purely solitary predator.
Atlantis researchers connect iratus biology with the Wraith's life-draining physiology, but the account is framed through their developing theories and experiments. Conversion brings the relationship into attempts to reverse Sheppard's altered condition, while Infection introduces the dangerous possibility of feeding an iratus queen on a sick Wraith. Those particular treatments do not establish a universally safe cure. The profile distinguishes the small natural bug from engineered humanoid hybrids and from the Wraith civilization itself.
First appearances & development
Introduced in Stargate Atlantis: Thirty Eight Minutes (2004). This entry follows the version represented by the primary works listed below, rather than treating the name as a single creature shared by every adaptation. Selected Stargate Atlantis television continuity is used. Character theories, experimental treatments and demonstrated behavior are distinguished; licensed novels and games are not fully surveyed.
Canon & continuity
Three distinct Atlantis episodes support the initial parasitic attack, cave reproduction and later therapeutic proposal. GateWorld's creature-specific Omnipedia is a secondary guide identifying those appearances and separating several character theories from encounters. The profile follows that television basis; the fictional genetic and life-draining explanations are not presented as real parasitology.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Stargate Atlantis — Thirty Eight Minutes
Initial iratus encounter and its persistent feeding on John Sheppard.
- 02
Stargate Atlantis — Conversion
Nests, eggs and the relationship between iratus biology and Sheppard's transformation.
- 03
Stargate Atlantis — Infection
Todd's proposed use of an iratus queen in response to his illness.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- ReferenceGateWorld Omnipedia — Iratus bugResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.