monophyletic

American  

[mon-oh-fahy-let-ik] / ˌmɒn oʊ faɪˈlɛt ɪk /

adjective

1. Biology. consisting of organisms descended from a single taxon.

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monophyletic British  

/ ˌmɒnəʊfaɪˈlɛtɪk /

adjective

1. relating to or characterized by descent from a single ancestral group of animals or plants

2. (of animals or plants) of or belonging to a single stock

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monophyletic Scientific  

/ mŏn′ō-fī-lĕt′ĭk /

1. Relating to a taxonomic group that contains all the descendants of a single common ancestor. All clades, such as birds and placental mammals, are monophyletic.

2. Compare paraphyletic polyphyletic

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Other Word Forms

• monophyletism noun
• monophylety noun

Etymology

Origin of monophyletic

First recorded in 1870–75; mono- + phyletic

Example Sentences

Genetic analysis also showed that circoviruses found in whales and other cetaceans form a distinct and well-supported monophyletic group within the genus Circovirus.

From Science Daily • Jan. 6, 2026

They form a "monophyletic group," or a collection of animals with a common evolutionary ancestor that is believed to not be widely shared by other groups.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2022

Consequently, land plants and closely related green algae are now part of a new monophyletic group called Streptophyta.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Both cydippid and lobate ctenophores, previously viewed as monophyletic clades, were recovered polyphyletic, indicating independent loss of both the cydippid larval stage and tentacle apparatus.

From Nature • May 20, 2014

Between the Hepaticae, Anthocerotales, Sphagnales and Musci, there are no connecting forms known, and it must be left as an open question whether the Bryophyta are a monophyletic or polyphyletic group.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various