[Hydraa]

A race that is brought into your empire appears to be genetically engineered to take all of your empire attributes except for the following 5 items that I have seen.

1. a different bitmap
2. a different racial name
3. a link to their former history of what they were
4. the ability to breathe their native atompshere
5. a different natural happiness modifier. (they will always have a trend to go to rioting unless you keep them happy)

Ships retain their bitmaps until retrofitted and then attain the appearance of the race that retrofitted it.