The tunica albuginea is the

fibrous Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a #Natural fibers, natural or Fiber#Artificial fibers, artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The stronge ...

tissue covering of the

testis A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testostero ...

. It is a dense blue-grey

membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. B ...

, composed of bundles of white fibrous

connective tissue Connective tissue is one of the four primary types of animal tissue, along with epithelial tissue, muscle tissue, and nervous tissue. It develops from the mesenchyme derived from the mesoderm the middle embryonic germ layer. Connective tiss ...

, from which it derives its name '' albuginea'', which interlace in every direction.

Structure

The tunica albuginea is a layer of

fibrous tissue Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...

capsule covering the

. It is covered by the

tunica vaginalis The tunica vaginalis is the pouch of serous membrane that covers the testes. It is derived from the vaginal process of the peritoneum, which in the fetus precedes the descent of the testes from the abdomen into the scrotum. After its descent, ...

, except at the points of attachment of the

epididymis The epididymis (; plural: epididymides or ) is a tube that connects a testicle to a vas deferens in the male reproductive system. It is a single, narrow, tightly-coiled tube in adult humans, in length. It serves as an interconnection between the ...

to the testis, and along its posterior border, where the

spermatic vessels The testicular artery (the male gonadal artery, also called the internal spermatic arteries in older texts) is a branch of the abdominal aorta that supplies blood to the testis. It is a paired artery, with one for each of the testes. It is the ...

enter the gland. It is thicker than the tunica albuginea of the ovary. The tunica albuginea is applied to the tunica vasculosa over the glandular substance of the testis, and, at its posterior border, is reflected into the interior of the gland, forming an incomplete vertical septum, called the

mediastinum testis The mediastinum testis is a network of fibrous connective tissue that extends from the top to near the bottom of each testis. It is wider above than below. Numerous imperfect septa are given off from its front and sides, which radiate toward the s ...

(corpus Highmori).

Additional images

File:Gray1145.png, Transverse section through the left side of the scrotum and the left testis. File:Gray1114.png, Section of a genital cord of the testis of a human embryo 3.5 cm. long. File:Gray1149.png, Vertical section of the

, to show the arrangement of the ducts.

References

External links

* - "Inguinal Region, Scrotum and Testes: The Cross-Section of the Testis" * () Scrotum {{Portal bar, Anatomy