The Morphology and Function of the Pharyngeal Organs in the Clupeid, Dorosoma petenense (Gunther)

A pair of suprabranchial or pharyngeal organs were discovered while studying the food habits of the threadfin shad,Dorosoma petenense, in 1959. Plankton was found in these structures and was counted separately from that found in the stomach., The morphology and histology of the organs indicated that apparently they were used for the accumulation and temporary storage of small food organisms which were coalesced into a bolus and later swallowed.