1. 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.