Zosteriga

Zosteriga is a fictional genus of marine algae created for educational and illustrative purposes in taxonomy and phylogenetics. It is not recognized by real-world taxonomic databases, but it is used to demonstrate how researchers describe, compare, and delimit species within a broader algal group.

In the imagined account, Zosteriga species form small, disc-shaped thalli up to about 2 cm in diameter, with a green to olive coloration from chlorophyll a and accessory pigments. They are described as inhabiting shallow coastal waters, often in kelp forests or tide pools, where they can occur as solitary individuals or in sheet-like biofilms on rock substrates.

Reproduction in Zosteriga is described as versatile in the educational scenario, with fragmentation enabling asexual spread and, in some species, sexually produced gametes. The life cycle is presented as haploid-dominant, a common feature in many algae, though the specifics can vary among hypothetical species. In the example taxonomy, two species are included: Zosteriga marina and Zosteriga littoralis, distinguished by thallus size, growth form, and pigment profiles.

Taxonomy and etymology within the fictional framework place Zosteriga in a broader, hypothetical lineage of photosynthetic aquatic organisms, with its name derived from zoster, meaning a belt or girdle, plus a suffix used in alga genera. The entry serves as a case study for how morphological data, ecological context, and molecular evidence are integrated in species delimitation. See also: fictional taxa in education, and educational examples of systematics.