Broodlord

Broodlord: the Broodlord is a more recent development, and is the ultimate product of Genestealer evolution. A Broodlord is immensely strong, agile and durable, which makes it a superb hand to hand warrior. It acts as an assault commander for Tyranid armies, personally leading attacks while bearing the "synapse" ability frequently observed in higher forms of Tyranids. It is rumored that the Broodlord and the Patriarch are one and the same creature, the patriarch being the older one. This has not yet been confirmed by GW but in one interview Jes Goodwin hinted that this may be true. The other apparent possibility is that a Broodlord is created in the living factories of the hive ships with the purpose of being a tactical operations leader for smaller groups of tyranid creatures like gaunts and genestealers, whereas a Patriarch is what any Genestealer can become if it manages to sire a brood away from the direct control of the Hivemind.