polyphyletic
/ˌpɑlifaɪˈlɛtɪk/
adjective
- Relating to a group of organisms that are descended from more than one common ancestor, not sharing a single evolutionary origin.
- A polyphyletic taxon includes species that evolved from different ancestors.
- Biologists reclassified the species after discovering the group was polyphyletic.
- The classification of some fungi as a single group turned out to be polyphyletic.
Antonyms