2.1.26 (HL)—Clades and evolutionary classification

A clade contains an ancestor and all descendants; on a cladogram, the more recent shared node indicates closer inferred relatedness.

Compare branching nodes, not horizontal tip position or branch length unless the diagram explicitly scales them. New DNA evidence can change the hypothesis.

Taxa A and B sharing a more recent node are inferred closer relatives than A and C sharing an older node.

Not necessarily; compare their most recent common node.

Tip position and branch length do not automatically show relatedness.