A phylotype is biological type that classifies an organism by its phylogenetic, that is evolutionary, relationship to other organisms. The term phylotype is taxon-neutral, thus one can choose the phylogenetic level at which the phylotype is described, e.g. species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

, class

Class (biology)

In biological classification, class is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, and species, with class fitting between phylum and order...

, 97% genetic similarity or homology

Homology (biology)

Homology forms the basis of organization for comparative biology. In 1843, Richard Owen defined homology as "the same organ in different animals under every variety of form and function". Organs as different as a bat's wing, a seal's flipper, a cat's paw and a human hand have a common underlying...

. The term is used most often in microbiology

Microbiology

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...

 since the genomes of prokaryotes do not lend to classification via Linnean taxonomy as easily as do many eukaryotes, including plant and animals. The phylotypic stage is allegedly a point in development where "all members in the taxon look essentially the same".

External links

• http://evolvethought.blogspot.com/2006/05/microbial-species-2-recombination.html
• http://guava.physics.uiuc.edu/pubs/preprints/bootstrap_version_2_1_3.pdf