Anatomical cavity at the start of the digestive tract that that is enclosed by the mouth. The boundaries and contents vary depending on the species. In vertebrates, the boundaries are the oral opening, the cheeks, the palate and (if present) the palatoglossal arch - if this is not present then the mouth and pharynx form the oropharyngeal cavity. The buccal cavity contains the teeth, tongue and palate (when present).
Comment:
[homology-note] "Echinoderms, hemichordates, and chordates are called deuterostomes because the mouth arises not from the blastopore but from a second invagination at the anterior end of the larva that pushes in to connect with the archenteron.[well established][VHOG]" xsd:string {date_retrieved="2012-09-17", external_class="VHOG:0000188", ontology="VHOG", source="ISBN:978-0030223693 Liem KF, Bemis WE, Walker WF, Grande L, Functional Anatomy of the Vertebrates: An Evolutionary Perspective (2001) p.32", source="http://bgee.unil.ch/"}