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Re: Meaning of Term, 2#

From: RaptorRKC@aol.com
 > 
 > What does the term "synapomorphy" mean?  It was not in my dictionary.
 > 
It means "shared derived character".  More specifically, it is a
character shared by two or more taxa that distinghuishes them jointly
from an ancestral form.

It is opposed to symplesiomorphy, which is a "shared ancestral
character", that is one that is shared due to *retention* from
the ancestral form, rather than due to shared innovation.

swf@elsegundoca.attgis.com              sarima@netcom.com

The peace of God be with you.