| Philtrum | |
|---|---|
 Philtrum of a healthy, one-month-old baby | |
 Philtrum of a domestic dog (marked in red) | |
| Details | |
| Precursor | Medial nasal prominence[1] |
| Identifiers | |
| TA98 | A05.1.01.007 |
| TA2 | 222 |
| FMA | 59819 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The philtrum (Latin: philtrum from Ancient Greek φίλτρον phíltron, lit. "love charm"[2]) or medial cleft is a vertical indentation in the middle area of the upper lip, common to therian mammals, extending in humans from the nasal septum to the tubercle of the upper lip. Together with a glandular rhinarium and slit-like nostrils, it is believed to constitute the primitive condition for at least therian mammals. Monotremes lack a philtrum, though this could be due to the specialised, beak-like jaws in living species.[3]
- ^ hednk-032—Embryo Images at University of North Carolina
- ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). "φίλτρον, τό, (φιλέω)". A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved April 13, 2017 – via perseus.tufts.edu.
- ^ Wilfried Westheide, Gunde Rieger, Spezielle Zoologie. Teil 2: Wirbel- oder Schädeltiere, Springer-Verlag, 21/11/2014