The facial artery of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

The facial artery and its ramifications in 7 adult common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) were studied by the plastic injection method. The findings obtained are discussed in comparison with those for other primates. In the submandibular region, the facial artery arose from the external carotid artery at the height of the atlas via the linguofacial trunk on 10 of the total of 14 sides examined and independently on the other 4 sides. This common trunk always gave rise to the superior thyroid artery. The facial artery passed anterolaterally between the styloglossus muscle and the intermediate tendon of the digastricus muscle, giving off the styloglossal and the submandibular glandular branches, and anteroinferiorly medial to the pterygoideus medialis muscle. In a position anterior to this muscle, the submental artery and masseteric branch were derived. The submental artery gave off the medial pterygoid, the digastric, the cutaneous, the sublingual glandular and the mylohyoid branches, and then continued up to the median line, where it terminated to supply the genioglossus muscle. In the facial region, the facial artery passed anterosuperiorly along the anterior margin of the masseter muscle on 12 sides and away from it forwards on 2 sides, giving off the premasseteric branch in one of these 2 sides. It gave rise to the cutaneous, the buccal and the buccinator branches, the inferior labial artery and the communicating branch with the zygomatic artery. It terminated to divide into the superior labial and the naris lateral arteries, although the latter was lacking on 4 sides. The inferior labial artery gave off the mandibular marginal, the inferior labial marginal and the inferior labial glandular branches and terminated to anastomose with the mental artery. The superior labial artery divided into the superficial and deep branches, each of which continued as a nasal septal branch. The facial artery of the common marmoset usually ascended along the anterior margin of the masseter muscle and did not reach the medial angle of the eye.