sympatric

adjective

sym·​pat·​ric sim-ˈpa-trik 

1

: occurring in the same area

2

: occupying the same geographical range without loss of identity from interbreeding

sympatric species

also : occurring between populations that are not geographically separated

sympatric speciation

compare allopatric

sympatrically

sim-ˈpa-tri-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

sympatry

ˈsim-ˌpa-trē 

noun

Examples of sympatric in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And among the types of speciation that do not, the most important is called sympatric. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2023

These two species are sympatric and exhibit very different behaviors. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 17 Dec. 2011

But other researchers say the research appears to show how sympatric speciation happens—and in this case, happened so quickly. —Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, 25 Mar. 2021

Word History

Etymology

sym- + Greek pátra "native country, homeland" (derivative from the stem of patḗr "father") + -ic entry 1 — more at father entry 1

Note: The word was introduced by the British biologist Edward Bagnall Poulton (1856-1943) in the 1903 Presidential Address to the Entomological Society of London, published in the Transactions of the Entomological Society of London for 1903 (London, 1903-04), p. xc.

First Known Use

circa 1904, in the meaning defined at sense 1