The Alpha Splinter is an insectoid creature that appears in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Native to the planet Aether, this creature acts as the alpha male of a Splinter pack. Its behaviour is identical to that of regular Splinters, but it is stronger, faster and more resilient.
During her mission on Aether, Samus Aran encountered a horde of Splinters within the Luminoth's Great Temple. The Splinters emerged from their coccoons and attacked Samus, but the hunter was able to dispatch most of them quickly. When the Alpha Splinter emerged, it proved to be a more formidable opponent. Before Samus could kill it, the Alpha was possessed by an Ing and transformed into a Dark Alpha Splinter. Samus was able to kill the beast before it could seize the Luminoth's Energy Controller.
The Alpha Splinter only appears for a short time before it is possessed by the Black Fog, giving the player a short window in which to scan the creature into the Logbook.