The pharyngeal or branchial arches are six curved cylindrical mesodermal thickenings on each side of the primitive pharynx. Each arch forms a swelling on the outer surface of the embryo and a swelling on the wall of the primitive pharynx internally. They are produced by the proliferation of the mesoderm of the lateral wall of the pharynx forming six arched thickenings. Each arch consists of an outer ectodermal covering, an inner endodermal lining and a mesodermal core between the two. The arches are separated from each other externally by five grooves called the pharyngeal clefts and are separated from each other internally by four grooves, the pharyngeal pouches. Each ectodermal cleft is separated from the corresponding endodermal pouch by a thin layer of mesoderm.
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