Comparison of cerebral base arteries in antelopes of Tragelaphus, Taurotragus and Boselaphus genera

Abstract

Studies were conducted on preparations of head arteries, including cerebral base arteries of sitatunga (n = 14), nyala n = 16) and Greater kudu n = 4) of Tragelaphus genus, Common eland n = 7) from the tribe of Tragelaphini and the largest Asiatic Nilgai antelope n = 9) from Boselaphini tribe. Blood vessels of the cerebral arterial circle in studied antelopes were found to arise from terminal division of intracranial segments of internal carotid arteries, which emerge from the pairwise rostral epidural rete mirabile. Due to obliteration of the extracranial segment of internal carotid artery, the cerebral arterial circle of studied antelopes is supplied with blood mainly through maxillary artery, with mediation of blood vessels of rostral epidural rete mirabile. The system of cerebral base arteries in selected representatives of Tragelaphus, Taurotragus and Boselaphus, in contrast to other species of Bovinae subfamily, manifests the absence of caudal epidural rete mirabile. The pattern of cerebral base arteries in studied antelopes is consistent with position of the species in taxonomy worked out by Simpson (Bull Am Mus Nat Hist 85:1–350, 1945) and McKenna and Bell (Classification of mammals above the species level. Columbia University Press, New York, pp I–XII, 1997).