adult aorta [FBbt_00003153]

adult aorta

ID: FBbt_00003153

The anterior portion of the adult dorsal vessel. It consist of a slender, thin walled tube extending from the heart, through the thorax and neck and into the occipital region of the head. At its junction with the heart it is widened to form a triangular chamber. From there it runs anteriorly, directly above the gut and beneath the median dorsal muscles of the thorax and finally opens into the hemocoel behind the brain. The open end is a funnel-shaped structure, the aortic funnel which is attached to the median occipital ridge. A pair of muscles (muscle 16) extend from the terminal opening at the anterior end, through the esophageal foramen of the brain to the frontal pulsatile organ (FBbt:00003175). The wall of the aorta is thin and lacks muscle striations.