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The branchial arches proper (i.e., those arches that support the gills) of a fish arise from certain of the pharyngeal arches that form in embryo.
Pharyngeal arches form in the embryo of all vertebrates, although their number varies.
The first, called the mandibular arch, develops into the jaws.
The second, the hyoidal arch, becomes the hyomandibular complex, which supports the back of the jaw and (when gills are present) the front of the gill series.
In gilled vertebrates (chiefly fish), the remaining arches become the branchial arches, which support the gills. In amphibians and reptiles, they give rise to other structures. In birds and mammals, the hyoidal arch, too, has significantly evolved.
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