Meanings
plural autapomorphies
- A derived trait that is unique to a particular taxon
1 more example
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.
2023, Wolfgang Denzer, Hinrich Kaiser, “Naming And Gaming: The Illicit Taxonomic Practice Of 'Nomenclatural Harvesting' And How To Avoid It”, in Journal of Zoology, volume 320, number 3, page 164
Origin
- Proto-Hellenic*autós
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew
- Ancient Greekαὖ (aû)
- Ancient Greekτόν (tón)
- Ancient Greekαὐτός (autós)
- Ancient Greekαὐτο- (auto-)
- Englishauto-
- Englishaut-
- Englishapomorphy
- Englishautapomorphy
Cite this entry
autapomorphy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autapomorphy
“autapomorphy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autapomorphy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “autapomorphy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autapomorphy.
Source: autapomorphy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.