SYNAPOMORPHY

Synapomorphy

In cladistics, a synapomorphy or synapomorphic character state is a trait that is shared by two or more taxa and inferred to have been present in their most recent common ancestor, whose own ancestor in turn is inferred to not possess the trait. A synapomorphy is thus an apomorphy visible in multiple taxa, where the trait in question is assumed to have originated in their last common ancestor. The word "synapomorphy," coined by German entomologist Willi Hennig, is derived from the Greek words ', syn = with, in company with, together with; ', apo = away from; and , morphe = shape.

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synapomorphy

Noun

  1. A derived trait that is shared by two or more taxa of shared ancestry


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: synapomorphy
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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