Dartos Totally Explained

Everything about Dartos Muscle totally explained

The dartos is a layer of smooth muscular fiber outside the external spermatic fascia but below the skin.

Gender differences

In males it's 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 shouldn't be confused with the cremasteric reflex.

Related terms

Some dartos-related terms:
ť dartoic (dar·to·ic) (dahr-to'ik) of the nature of a dartos; having a slow, involuntary contractility like that of the dartos.

ť dartoid (dar·toid) (dahr'toid) resembling the dartos.

Additional images

Image:Gray1145.png|Transverse section through the left side of the scrotum and the left testis. Further Information

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