Gill Cavity

in bony fishes, the space that consists of a central section bounded by gill arches and of two lateral sections outside the arches that communicate with central gill slits. The outer wall of each lateral section is formed from the gill cover. The gills are freely suspended in the lateral cavities and attached to the gill arches. The central section of the gill cavity is often called the buccobranchial cavity, and the lateral sections are called the peribranchial cavities.