Pharyngeal teeth and masticatory process of the basioccipital bone in Japanese bitterlings (Cyprinidae)

Abstract

The pharyngeal teeth and the masticatory process of the basioccipital bone were compared in fifteen species and subspecies of Japanese bitterlings.Acheilognathus lanceolata, A. limbata and two subspecies ofRhodeus ocellatus, which are characterized by the absence of serrations on the side of the pharyngeal teeth, have reduced occlusal grooves on the pharyngeal teeth. In the larvae of these species, the occlusal grooves are fairly developed. The occlusal grooves of the adult pharyngeal teeth in herbivorous species are more developed than those in omnivorous species. The occlusal grooves seem to have developed in relation to the feeding habits.