Phyletic lines

Pronunciation
/fih-LET-ik lines/
Category
Evolutionary Biology
Singular
Phyletic line
Plural
Phyletic lines

Definition

Evolutionary lineages of organisms that share a common ancestor.

Etymology

From Greek 'phyle', meaning 'tribe' or 'family', and 'line'.

Example

The study of insect phylogeny involves tracing the evolutionary history of different phyletic lines.

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