WANI Dictionary

Pharynx

The pharynx (pl. pharynges) is the tube-like structure between the mouth and esophagus.

In fish and aquatic amphibians, the pharynx is directly connected to the outside environment through gill slits.

Definitions in the literature

• The cavity in vertebrates between the mouth and the oesophagus and windpipe, which serves for the passage of both food and respiratory gases [1].
• in vertebrates, a chamber that is located at the back of the mouth, shared by the digestive and respiratory systems; in some invertebrates, the portion of the digestive tube just posterior to the mouth [2].