Not present in the ancestor of a taxon but present in at least some of the descendants. An apomorphic character state. Opposed to plesiomorphic.
Alternative forms for Apomorphic : Advanced, Derived.
cladogram of two genera (blue and red); the red bullets represent apomorphic character states within the red genus. It is important to note that characters 1, 2, and 3 are apomorphic for the taxon comprising both genera, but are plesiomorphic when only th