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Coronary Artery Anatomy and Elasmobranch Phylogeny
Author(s) -
MuñozChápuli R.,
Andrés A. V.,
Dingerkus G.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
acta zoologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.414
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1463-6395
pISSN - 0001-7272
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-6395.1994.tb01212.x
Subject(s) - coronary arteries , anatomy , biology , trunk , synapomorphy , phylogenetics , artery , medicine , genetics , ecology , clade , gene
The anatomical arrangements of the coronary arteries were compared in 36 species from eight orders of elasmobranchs and one species of holocephalians. Two main patterns of the coronary trunks are defined in the conus arteriosus. A dorsal and a ventral coronary trunk are present in lamnoid and carcharhinoid representatives (except in scyliorhinids), while two lateral coronary trunks are always observed in the holocephalian, hexanchoid, squaloid, squatinoid, scyliorhinid and batoid representatives. Posterior coronary arteries arising from subclavian branches are recorded only in rajoid and myliobatoid specimens. We propose that both the dorsoventral coronary trunk pattern and the presence of posterior coronary arteries are apomorphic. Thus, the phylogenetic analysis of these character–states supports the view that lamnoids are the sister–group of advanced carcharhinoids (carcharhinids and sphyrnids), sharing the dorsoventral coronary trunk pattern as a synapomorphy.