Pharyngeal teeth are teeth in the pharyngeal arch of the throat of cyprinids, suckers, and a number of other fish species lacking teeth.[1]
Popular aquarium fish such as goldfish and loaches have these structures. Members of the Botia genus such as clown loaches are known to make distinctive clicking sounds when they grind their pharyngeal teeth. Myxocyprinus asiaticus (family Catostomidae) have a single row of pharyngeal teeth that have comb-like arrangements.[2]
The lower pharyngeal bones of cichlids also carry specialized teeth which augment their normal mandibular teeth in the breakdown of food.
The Cape Fear Shiner (family Cyprinidae) only has pharyngeal teeth (teeth located on the back of the fish's throat on its gill arches), similar to the teeth of other omnivorous shiners.[3]
To crunch exoskeletons the Redear sunfish (family Centrarchidae) has thick pharyngeal teeth composed of hard, movable plates in its throat.
The pharyngeal jaws of the Moray eel (family Muraenidae) possess their own set of teeth.
Molidae are said to be able to produce sound by grinding their pharyngeal teeth, which are long and claw-like.
The dentary of Sternarchogiton nattereri (family Apteronotidae) has upper and lower pharyngeal tooth plates bearing 9-11 and 7-9 teeth respectively.
In the Priapulida the mouth cone (“everted pharynx”) of a possible new species of Meiopriapulus bears pharyngeal teeth.[4]
Fossils of the Yunnanozoon and Haikouella possess pharyngeal teeth.
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