FishFace

By 146 hpf, the palatoquadrate (pq) has grown considerably from that seen at 104 hpf. The palatoquadrate articulates with Meckel’s cartilage (Mk) anteriorly, the hyosymplectic (hs) posteriorly, and the ethmoid (e) of the neurocranium through its pterygoid process (ptp) dorsomedially. Palatoquadrate chondrocytes remain aligned in a single row of cells, visible in ventral view. A partial projection in the ventral view demonstrates that the entopterygoid (en) is medial to, and spans 2/3 of the anterior-posterior length of, the palatoquadrate. The quadrate (q) is now visible in the lateral aspect of the antero-ventral perichondrium of the palatoquadrate near its articulation with Meckel’s cartilage and extends from the perichondrium into the dermis ventral to the main body of the palatoquadrate.