The procedure by which the parent cell's cytoplasm is differentiated into two daughter cells produced either through meiosis or mitosis is known as cytokinesis. This is also called cell cleavage or cytoplasmic division. The initiation of cytokinesis takes place in anaphase stage in animal cells and prophase in plant cells, and culminates in both in telophase stage, to produce the two daughter cells.
The process of cytokinesis occurs in four stages, that is, initiation, contraction, membrane insertion, and completion. The occurrences taking place within these stages vary in plant and animal cells.