telophase The fourth and final phase of mitosis and the 2 divisions of meiosis, during which the spindle disappears, nucleoli reappear, the nuclear membranes start to develop around the 2 groups of daughter chromosomes/chromatids, and the chromosomes return to their extended state, in which they are no longer visible. The nuclei then enter a resting stage as they were before division occurred. In many higher plants, telophase of the first meiotic division is omitted.

telophase A stage of cell division. In mitosis the chromatids that separated from each other at anaphase collect at the poles of the spindle. A nuclear membrane forms around each group, producing two daughter nuclei with the same number and kind of chromosomes as the original cell nucleus. In the first telophase of meiosis, complete chromosomes from the pairs that separated at first anaphase form the daughter nuclei. The number of chromosomes in these nuclei is therefore half the number in the original one. In the second telophase, daughter nuclei are formed from chromatids (as in mitosis). In some organisms, the first telophase of meiosis is abbreviated or omitted (see interkinesis).

telophase The fourth and final phase of mitosis and meiosis, during which the spindle disappears, nucleoli reappear, the nuclear membranes start to develop around the two groups of daughter chromosomes/chromatids, and the chromosomes return to their extended state in which they are no longer visible. The nuclei then enter an interphase, the stage they were in before division occurred.