paraphyletic

American  

[per-uh-fahy-let-ik] / ˌpɛr ə faɪˈlɛt ɪk /

adjective

1. Biology. of or relating to a taxon of organisms that descended from a common ancestral group but that does not include all descendants of that ancestral group. Compare monophyletic; polyphyletic.

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paraphyletic Scientific  

/ păr′ə-fī-lĕt′ĭk /

1. Relating to a taxonomic group that includes some but not all of the descendants of a common ancestor. In the traditional taxonomy of vertebrates, where fish are a separate class from the classes of terrestrial vertebrates, the class of fish is paraphyletic, since the terrestrial vertebrates are descended from a type of fish.

2. Compare monophyletic polyphyletic

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Other Word Forms

• paraphyletically adverb

Example Sentences

As discussed above, the relationships among members of these classes is being reassessed, with the turbellarians in particular now viewed as a paraphyletic group, a group that does not have a single common ancestor.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Puffinus was found to be paraphyletic by Heidrich et al.

From Scientific American • Feb. 10, 2013

Within striped windows, and/or H. timareta are paraphyletic but the taxa do not group by colour pattern.

From Nature • Jul. 4, 2012

Within striped windows, and/or H. timareta are paraphyletic but the taxa do not group by colour pattern.

From Nature • Jul. 4, 2012