1Of or concerning the blood.

1. 1.1Zoology Situated on the same side of the body as the heart and major blood vessels (i.e. in chordates, ventral).
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Well-preserved centra show paired subcentral foramina, located on either side of the hemal ridge at a level slightly behind the midpoint of the centrum.
   • In basal cross section, the fused chevrons of the haemal arch have a flattened medial face and a U-shaped lateral face.
   • This process articulates with slim unpaired haemal spines which, in turn, articulate with the axonosts of the anal fin.
   • The first caudal vertebra is identified as the most anterior vertebra that has paired haemal flanges extending along the ventral surface of the centrum.
   • The hemal system parallels the water vascular system and probably distributes nutrients from the digestive tract.