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Stylopharyngeus: anatomy, location and function

A slender pharyngeal muscle arising from the styloid process. Elevates the pharynx and larynx during swallowing and speech.

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Highlighted in the model: Stylopharyngeus. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Stylopharyngeus at a glance

What it is
A slender pharyngeal muscle arising from the styloid process.
Location
Originates from the medial side of the styloid process and inserts onto the posterior border of the thyroid cartilage and the pharyngeal wall.
Function
Elevates the pharynx and larynx during swallowing and speech.
Body system
Muscular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA46668 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Innervation: glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
  • The only muscle supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve

Structures next to the stylopharyngeus

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Stylopharyngeus (FMA46668). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §11.2 Naming Skeletal Muscles. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.