Or the flumphs. They're a running gag that many readers probably weren't familiar with and newer readers probably still aren't if they don't read the boards. Without knowing what they are it's possible to pick up that they are soft, out-of-place, and not particularly dangerous. They're even revealed to be not evil.
Obviously, the salient points of MITD's relevant abilities and characteristics will come out much faster in-comic, but personally I think it will work in its role even without a single character literally naming its species. Granted, if it appears in-comic without an explicit naming I do expect that someone would be able to name it in the corresponding thread, but not that it would be absolutely necessary to the story.