Dartos
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| Dartos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The scrotum. (Label for Dartos is at bottom left.) | |
 | |
| The scrotum. (Label for Dartos is at bottom left.) | |
| Gray's | subject #258 1238 |
| Origin | |
| Insertion | |
| Artery: | |
| Nerve: | Genital branch of genitofemoral nerve |
| Action: | |
| Dorlands /Elsevier | d_02/12280192 |
The dartos is a layer of smooth muscular fiber outside the external spermatic fascia but below the skin.
Gender differences
- In males it is termed tunica dartos and lies beneath the skin of the scrotum. In older males the dartos muscle loses its tone, and tends to cause the scrotum to be smoother and to hang down further.
- In females, the same muscle fibers are less well developed and termed dartos muliebris, lying beneath the skin of the labia majora.
Function
The tunica dartos acts to regulate the temperature of the testicles, which promotes spermatogenesis. It does this by expanding or contracting to wrinkle the scrotal skin.
- Contraction reduces the surface area available for heat loss, thus reducing heat loss and warming the testicles.
- Conversely, expansion increases the surface area, promoting heat loss and thus cooling the testicles.
The dartos muscle works in conjunction with the cremaster muscle to elevate the testis but should not be confused with the cremasteric reflex.
Related terms
Some dartos-related terms:
- dartoic (dar·to·ic) (dahr-to'ik) of the nature of a dartos; having a slow, involuntary contractility like that of the dartos.
- dartoid (dar·toid) (dahr'toid) resembling the dartos.
Additional images
 Transverse section through the left side of the scrotum and the left testis. |
External links
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
