adjective
- Derived from or descended from two distinct ancestral lines or evolutionary origins.
Usage: biology; evolutionary biology
Examples
- Scientists debated whether the group was monophyletic or diphyletic in origin.
- The diphyletic nature of the organisms suggested they evolved from two separate lineages.
- Genetic analysis revealed that the species was diphyletic, not a single evolutionary line.
- Diphyletic groups are considered problematic in modern cladistic classification systems.
- The researchers concluded the family was diphyletic based on molecular evidence.