THE ELASMOBRANCH FISHES 



201 



branches from the sphMMi on and in the angle of the stomach, and smaller pan- 

 creatic veins. As it passes the anterior segment of the spleen it receives one or 

 more additional strong branches. 



The anterior intestinal vein is a forward continuation of the intraintestinal 

 vein and, as such, drains the free margin of the valve within the valvular intes- 

 tine. Near the place where it leaves the intestine the anterior intestinal vein re- 

 ceives several branches. The first of these 

 branches is the ventral intestinal vein 

 ( I'. ?.!•., fig. 155) which arises on the rectum 

 and passes over the colon and along the 

 ventral side of the valvular intestine par- 

 allel with and not far from the dorsal in- 

 testinal vein. At the distal part of the val- 

 vular intestine the ventral intestinal vein 

 is usually connected by a transverse ves- 

 sel with the dorsal intestinal vein (d.i.v.), 

 and along the valvular intestine it re- 

 ceives annular branches. The ventral in- 

 testinal in continuing over the ventral lobe 

 of the pancreas receives certain branches 

 from the pancreas. It next receives a 

 long gastrosplenic branch (p.gs.v.) which 

 drains the posterior side of the pyloric 

 stomach along which it travels from the 

 cardiac division where it receives splenic 

 branches. The anterior intestinal may 

 next be joined by the large anterior branch 

 of the gastric which drains the most ante- 

 rior part of the cardiac stomach and, in 

 part, the main division of the anterior seg- 

 ment of the spleen ; or the anterior gastric 

 vein may join the ventral gastric and 

 empty with it into the portal. 



After the union of the anterior and the 

 posterior intestinal veins the large ventral 

 gastric (v.g.v.) joins the stem of the he- 

 patic portal system {h.p.). The hepatic 

 portal vein extends a short distance for- 

 ward and divides into right and left 

 halves to the lobes of the liver. The blood 

 thus distributed to the liver is finally col- 

 lected by right and left hepatic trunks 

 which enter the sinus venosus of the heart 

 a short distance from the middle line 

 (/i.r., fig. 188). 



Fig. 185. General view of veins in Hep- 

 taiiclms maculatus. (C. G. Potter, orig.) 



a.c, anterior cardinal ; Tyr.v., brachial 

 vein ; dr., cross-trunk ; cd.v., caudal 

 vein ; cl.v., eloacal vein ; co.v., coracoid 

 vein; f.v., femoral vein; i.j., inferior 

 jugular vein; l.a.v., lateral abdominal 

 vein; p.c, postcardinal vein; p.c.s., 

 postcardinal sinus; r.p., renal portal; 

 s.cl.v., subclavian vein ; s.sc.v., subscap- 

 ular vein ; s.v., sinus venosus. 



