Merialtaissa

Merialtaissa is a fictional genus of marine arthropods conceived for use in speculative fiction and worldbuilding materials. It is not a real taxon described by scientists, but is presented here as part of a constructed natural history.

Etymology and taxonomy: The name Merialtaissa combines imagined Latin roots to evoke sea life and high, with the common arthropod suffix -issa. In the fictional system, Merialtaissa is placed in the family Merialtiidae, within the order Trilobitomorpha, as part of a broader narrative of early arthropod diversification.

Description: The genus includes several species characterized by a dorsoventrally flattened exoskeleton with distinct segmentation into a cephalon, thorax, and pygidium. Size typically ranges from about 2 to 4 centimeters. Eye development varies among species, with some possessing well-developed faceted eyes and others showing reduced or absent eyes, suggesting ecological diversification within the lineage.

Habitat and distribution: In the narrative world, Merialtaissa inhabited shallow, temperate seas around reefal and silty substrates in the fictional Altaea region, often preserved in limestone and marl formations. Its distribution is described as widespread within suitable coastal basins of that setting.

Discovery and naming: The genus was named by the fictional paleontologist Dr. Lira Kestrel in a 2149 field report from the Puran Basin, forming part of a broader paleontological timeline within the story world.

Significance: In-world, Merialtaissa is used to illustrate early diversification of artiopods and to discuss ecological stability in shallow-marine environments, serving as a reference point for evolutionary scenarios in the fiction’s paleoecology.