synapomorphy

English

Etymology

From syn- +‎ apomorphy.

Noun

synapomorphy (plural synapomorphies)

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

   Coordinate term: symplesiomorphy

   • 2003, Eric Buffetaut, Jean-Michel Mazin, Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs‎^[1], page 117:

     Another supposed synapomorphy of Rhamporhynchidae + Pterodactyloidea presented by Unwin (1995) is the subequal length of metacarpals I–III. In all non-pterodactyloid specimens where this region is known metacarpals I–III are about the same length. Therefore this feature cannot be used as a synapomorphy of Rhamporhynchidae + Pterodactyloidea.

   • 2022, Pablo A. Goloboff, From Observations to Optimal Phylogenetic Trees: Phylogenetic Analysis of Morphological Data, Vol. 1‎^[2]:

     A “synapomorphy” for a group then amounts to a state change in a character along the corresponding branch; some synapomorphies may be ambiguous when optimization is ambiguous and multiple MPRs exist.

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “derived trait that is shared”): plesiomorphy

Derived terms

• synapomorphic

See also

• autapomorphy
• symmorphy