Which pharyngeal arch forms the styloid process and stylohyoid ligament?

• A. First arch
• B. Second arch
• C. Third arch
• D. Fourth arch

Answer: (B)

The second pharyngeal arch, also called the hyoid arch, provides Reichert's cartilage, from which the styloid process and the stylohyoid ligament develop. This arch also contributes other structures nearby, like the stapes and part of the hyoid bone, and its fibrous remnants form the stylohyoid ligament that stretches from the styloid process to the lesser horn of the hyoid. The first arch forms other structures such as the mandible and the malleus/incus, while the third arch and others contribute different parts of the hyoid or laryngeal cartilages, not the styloid process or stylohyoid ligament.