Columella (bone)

In the auditory system, the columella (plural columellae), also known as the columella auris or the plectrum, contributes to hearing in amphibians, reptiles and birds. The columella is a thin bone in the interior of the skull and serves the purpose of transmitting sounds from the eardrum, often via a cartilaginous or bony extracolumella. It is an evolutionary homolog of the stapes, one of the auditory ossicles in mammals.

During development, the columella is derived from the dorsal end of the hyoid arch.