An apomorphy is a character state which is unique to a single, terminal taxon. Example: among primates, complex grammar is an apomorphy of human beings. It is quite diagnostic of humans, but useless in determining phylogenetic relationships because it is not a shared, derived characteristic, or synapomorphy, of any larger group.

Cladistics
· Apomorphy · Clade · Cladistic controversies · Cladistic methodology · The cladistic revolution · Cladistic taxonomy · Cladogram · Fundamental concepts of Cladistics · Synapomorphy · PhyloCode ·

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