Autapomorphy
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A derived trait that is unique to a particular taxon
"In their article, these authors gave a full description of the specimen and concluded that the species was not only lacking several characteristics typical for the genus Gonocephalus but presented additional characters that would justify the removal of G. mjobergi from Gonocephalus.They abstained from naming a new genus based on autapomorphies, given that this would be of no phylogenetic relevance and limited taxonomic use, and deferred a decision until more material became available for study."
Example
More examples"In their article, these authors gave a full description of the specimen and concluded that the species was not only lacking several characteristics typical for the genus Gonocephalus but presented additional characters that would justify the removal of G. mjobergi from Gonocephalus.They abstained from naming a new genus based on autapomorphies, given that this would be of no phylogenetic relevance and limited taxonomic use, and deferred a decision until more material became available for study."
Etymology
From aut- + apomorphy.
More for "autapomorphy"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.