kiefertragenden
Kiefertragenden is a descriptive term used in German biology to denote organisms that possess jaws, i.e., gnathostomes. The word combines Kiefer (jaw) and tragend (bearing) and is used to distinguish jaw-bearing vertebrates from jawless forms. It is not a formal taxonomic group, but a functional or morphological label commonly found in educational texts and overviews of vertebrate evolution.
In taxonomy and anatomy, the term is typically applied to vertebrates with jaws, including cartilaginous fishes
Etymology: the term is formed from the German words for jaw (Kiefer) and bearing (tragend), functioning as
Evolution: jaws are believed to have evolved from modifications of the first pharyngeal arches. The earliest
See also: Gnathostomata; Cyclostomata; vertebrate evolution.