an occasional accessory levator muscle of the pharynx, arising from the undersurface of the petrous portion of the temporal bone and inserting into the pharynx.
petropharyngeus
(pĕt″rō-făr-rĭn′jē-ŭs) [″ + Gr. pharynx, throat] A small muscle joining the lower surface of the petrous portion of the temporal bone and the pharynx. It helps to constrict the pharynx.