gill arch

[gil]

noun

1. branchial arch.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gill arch¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

They found the unusual head-shoulder joint bears similarities with the gill arches in earlier fish, suggesting it was these that were retained and incorporated into the formation of the shoulder at an early stage.

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The vertebrate shoulder, they conclude, arose in part from ancestral fishes’ gill arches, curved supports encircling the throat.

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Metaspriggina boasted seven pairs of rod-like structures called gill arches, or branchial arches, that functioned for both filtration of food particles and respiration.

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It is not the oldest shark fossil, but it is the oldest to reveal all of the anatomy of the skeleton supporting the gill arches, a vitally important element of a fish.

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The X-ray scans revealed the fossil had complete gill arches, the support structures for the gills that fish use to breathe.

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