Apomorphic character

apomorphic character

A phenotypic character, or homology, in which the similarity of characters found in different species is the result of common descent. I.e., the species evolved after a branch diverged from a phylogenetic tree.

Two characters in two taxa are homologues. If they are the same as the character that is found in the ances­try of the two taxa or they are different characters that have an ancestor/descendant relationship described as preexisting or novel. The ancestral character is termed the plesiomorphic character. And the descendant char­acter is termed the apomorphic character. Examples are the flippers of whales and human arms.