Ecology of the Rust Monster Re-imagined [3.5 monsters]

[Mephibosheth]

So, by way of brief explanation, I know that rust monster ecology has been dealt with before. I tried to find a copy of the Dragon article that outlines the official rust monster party line, but couldn't access it without a D&D Insider account.

I've always thought that rust monsters were particularly interesting creatures. Not particularly potent in terms of conventional offense, their special metal-destroying abilities make them interesting encounters nonetheless. And their diet is so strange that it begs to be integrated into a unique ecology. I'm not a scientist by any means, but hopefully this is at least a start.

For me, other than their consumption of metal, the most striking thing about rust monsters is how similar they are to insects. Their prominent antennae, their mandibular jaws, their splaying legs and grasshopper-like claws all recall mundane insects. But if I remember correctly, the conventional presentation of them doesn't really incorporate this, but I could be wrong.

Also, I wanted to create an encounter for low-level players that was more interesting than a single rust monster. This sparked the idea of the rustlings, which fit so well with how I've always viewed rust monsters that I had to expand on the idea. And this, for better or for worse, is the result. It's still a work-in-progress, but I'm very interested to here what you think. Any comments/criticism/suggestions are welcome!