Download ARTERIES IN THE HEART REGION OF THE KIWI

Vol.
•94• 59']
a
GLENNY,
Arteries
in theHeartRegion
o! theKiwi
ARTERIES
IN
THE
HEART
BY
FRED
I-I.
REGION
OF THE
225
KIWI
GLENNY
INTRODUCTION
THROUGH
the cooperationof the Curator of Birds of the United
StatesNational Museum,the writer was able to study the arrangement of the main arteriesin the region of the heart of the Kiwi
(Apteryx australismantelh). The findingsare set forth in the followingobservations
with the hope that they may be of interestto
students
of bird anatomy,and to give a betterunderstanding
of the
structure
oœ the bird.
OBSERVATIONS
The left and right innominatearteriesarisefrom the aortic root
of the right ventricle. The systemic
archon the right sideremains
as the functionalarch and joins the right radix aorta which passes
posteriorlyto join the definitive dorsal aorta. The left and right
ligamenturnbotalli are presentalong with the distal portion of
theleft radix aortanowfusedwith the left ligamenturn
aortae(Glenny,
1941).
Unlike mostother birds (Glenny, 1940, 1940a,1941a),the innominate arteriesgive rise to two thyroid arteries (dorsaland ventral)
beforegivingrise to the internal carotidand subclavianarteries. The
subdavianarteriesgive rise to the 1) coracoid,2) internal mammary
or intercostal,3) cutaneous,and 4) two pectoral-axillaryarteries.
With the reductionof wingsfrom flight, there is considerable
modification in the areassupplied by the pectoral and axillary arteries
as comparedwith thoseareassuppliedby the samevessels
in other
birds. Thus the arterieswhich normallysupplythe pectoralmuscles
of other birds, supply the wings,skin, and pectoral musclesin the
Kiwi. The latter or pectoralmusclesare suppliedby small branches
of the larger arterieswhich supplythe wings. The cutaneousartery
suppliesthe skin and is lateral in position.
The left carotid arch givesrise to the 1) brachio-scapular,
2) internal carotid, and 3) superficialcervicalarteries. The left superficial cervicalarterygivesoff a branchwhichpasses
laterallyalongthe
neck and suppliesthe musclesand other tissuesin that region,while
the other branch suppliesthe tracheaand lymphaticglandson the
left sideof the neck. The internal carotidentersthe hypapophysial
canal and passesanteriorly toward the head alone.
226
GLENNY,
Arteries
in theHeartRegion
o! theKiwi
['Auk
L April
The right carotidarch givesrise to the 1) cervico-brachio-scapular
and 2) ascending-oesophageal
arteries. The formersendsoff small
branchesto the syrinx,brachio-plexus,
shoulderand scapula,and
anteriorlyalong the dorsalregion to the cervicalmusculature. The
ascending-oesophageal
givesrise to oneimportantbranchwhichsuppliesthe lymphaticglandson the right sideof the neck;otherwise
it suppliesthe oesophagus
and to a lesserextent other tissuesin
this area.
DISCUSSION
Althoughonly one specimen
oœthis species
of Kiwi wasavailable,
baseduponthe formerexperiences
of the writer it is safeto assume
that the abovepictureis a reasonable
representation
of the condition of the anteriorpart of the arterialsystemin .4ptcryx.
The writer is of the opinionthat thisconditionis to be considered
asan exampleof modification
ratherthanof extremeprimitiveness.
This conclusion
isbasedupontheevidences
presented
in thepenguins,
a late rheaembryo,and otherpresumably
primitivebirds. The fact
that a branchof the right carotidarchis supertidalis an indication
that this arrangement
is one of modificationand perhapsto a lesser
degreeof primitiveness.However,the greatestmodificationof
TEXT-FIO.
1.--Diagrammatic
representation
of the main arteriesin the regionof
the heart of the Kiwi (.4pteryxaustralismantelli).
A, right radix aorta.
B, ligamenturn aortae.
C, internal carotid artery.
D, dorsal aorta.
E, right cervico-brachio-scapular
artery.
F, right ascending
oesophageal
artery.
G, left ascendingtracheo-lymphatic
artery.
H, left vertebral artery.
I, innominate arteries.
J, superficialcervicalartery.
K, right lymphatic artery.
M, internal mammary (intercostal)artery.
N, coracoldartery.
O, subclavianartery.
P, pectoralarteries.
Q, pulmonary artery.
s, ductus shawii.
U, scapulararteries.
c, cutaneousbranchesof pectoral artery.
w, axillary branchesof pectoralartery.
t, thyroid gland and arteries.
Vol.
•9']
1942
.•
GLENNY,
,4rteries
in theHeartRegion
of theKiwi
227
H
.Q
D
Diagrammaticrepresentationof the main arteries in the region of the heart
of the Kiwi (Apteryx australismantellO.
arterial supplyis found in the arterieswhich are derivedfrom the
subclavianartery. In the rhea and penguins,thesearteriesfollow
muchthe samegeneralpatternas thosein other species
of the more
primitive ordersoœbirds.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The writer
wishes to thank Dr. Alexander
Friedmann, oœ the U.S.
Wetmore
and Dr. Herbert
National Museum, œor their kindness in
makingavailablematerial and œacilities
for this study.
228
GLENNV,
Arteries
in theHeartRegion
of theKiwi
ILApril
'Auk
I•EFEKENCES
GLENNY, •
H.
1959.Ananomalous
artery
in thekingfisher
(Ceryle
alcyon•.
OhioAcad.
Sci.,
39: 94-96.
1940. A systematic
studyof the main arteriesin the regionof the heart. AvesI.
Anat. l•ecord, 76: 371-•80.
1940a.The main arteries in the region of the heart of three speciesof doves.
Bull. Fan Mere. Inst. BioL, Peiping,China, zool. set., 10: no. 4, Dec. 25.
1941. Presenceof the ligamenturnbotalli in the Golden Eagle, the l•ed-tailed
Hawk, and the CommonPigeon. Ohio Journ. Sci., 41: 46-49.
1941a.A systematic
studyof the main arteriesin the regionof the heart. Aves
II. Ohio Journ. Sci., 4h 99-100.
Bird ResearchLaboratory,
Summit County Wildlife ResearchStation,
Akron, Ohio