Zonatus

Zonatus is a Latin adjective used in biological nomenclature as a species epithet to describe a belt-like or zoned pattern on an organism. The name derives from zona, meaning belt, girdle, or zone, with the suffix -atus indicating possession of the described feature. In Latinized scientific naming, zonatus translates roughly to “belted” or “zonate.”

Usage and interpretation

The epithet zonatus appears across diverse taxonomic groups, including animals, plants, and fungi. It is a descriptive term rather than a reference to a single lineage, and it typically points to a notable banding, ring, or zonal pattern on the organism—such as bands on wings, stripes along the body, or variegation on leaves and petals. Because it describes appearance rather than phylogeny, unrelated species may share the zonatus epithet if they display similar banded characteristics.

Variations and related terms

As with other Latin epithets, zonatus has gendered variations in different languages or grammatical agreements, such as zonata (feminine) or zonatum (neuter), to match the gender of the genus name. The root concept is related to other descriptive terms that reference bands, zones, or rings in a species’ morphology.

See also

Zonation, zone, zonate, tessellation. Note that zonatus is a descriptive epithet and does not indicate a single taxonomic group.