The Jophur are an alien race, invented by
David Brin in his sci-fi
Uplift series. For physiological and miscellaneous information, see
here.
The traeki were Uplifted by their patrons, the Poa, in the fashion common to all oxygen-breathing races of the Five Galaxies. However, the traeki were a very unresponsive client race. They lacked the ambition, the drive, the overwhelming arrogance which a species requires to succeed in the competitive atmosphere of the Five Galaxies. After over a million years spent vainly in the attempt to Uplift the traeki, their Poa patrons appealed to a race of great bio-engineers known as the Oailie to help them. The Oailie tinkered and modified and manipulated the traeki genetic code, until they finally announced that their gift to the fledgling traeki race was complete. The Oailie bestowed upon them master rings; rings which gave no help to the stack, but who ruled over the others with brutal tyranny enforced by bolts of lightning pain. The new traeki finally had drive, had purpose, had ego - but this was given to them at the cost of their freedom. The new master rings, armed with egotistical personality, became a powerful force in Galactic affairs, taking on the new name Jophur.