Anatomical description of the aortic arch of a rare species "the giant armadillo" (Priodontes maximus; Kerr, 1792).

Abstract

The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is found in diverse habitats from South America. A female adult giant armadillo with a body mass of 45 kg was used. The animal was a victim of trampling on highway AC-40, at 70 km, near the municipality of Capixaba-Acre and the corpse donated to the Animal Anatomy Laboratory at Federal University of Acre (UFAC). The arterial system was filled with natural latex via the thoracic aorta in a direction opposite the blood flow to facilitate the description of the aortic arch and its side branches. The study was approved by CEUA/UFAC - no. 053/2015 and SISBIO no. 47124-1. The aortic arch issued side groups, which had the following sequence: brachycephalic trunk, left carotid artery, left subclavian artery. The brachycephalic trunk forked forming the right subclavian artery and the right common carotid artery. The arrangement allowed the whole carotid blood supply to the brain and surrounding structures present in the animal's head. The subclavian arteries, of homologous way, originated the arteries: vertebral, thoracic, and cervical costocervical trunk. The aortic arch armadillo showed the same pattern as that described for the Euphractus sexcinctus and different from those reported for the Dasypus novemcinctus and Tamandua tetradactyla. In addition, the function assigned to each branch was the same regardless of the species with which it was compared.