The antitragicus is an intrinsic muscle of the

outer ear The outer ear, external ear, or auris externa is the external part of the ear, which consists of the auricle (also pinna) and the ear canal. It gathers sound energy and focuses it on the eardrum (tympanic membrane). Structure Auricle Th ...

. In human anatomy, the antitragicus arises from the outer part of the

antitragus The antitragus is a feature of mammalian ear anatomy. In humans, it is a small tubercle on the visible part of the ear, the pinna. The antitragus is located just above the earlobe and points anteriorly. It is separated from the tragus by the ...

, and is inserted into the

cauda helicis In the lower part of the helix the cartilage is prolonged downward as a tail-like process, the cauda helicis; this is separated from the antihelix The antihelix (anthelix) is a part of the visible ear; the pinna. The antihelix is a curved promin ...

(or tail of the

helix A helix () is a shape like a corkscrew or spiral staircase. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is formed as two intertwined helic ...

) and

antihelix The antihelix (anthelix) is a part of the visible ear; the pinna. The antihelix is a curved prominence of cartilage parallel with and in front of the helix on the pinna. The antihelix divides above into two ''legs'' or crura; the ''crura antihel ...

. The function of the muscle is to adjusts the shape of the

ear An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...

by pulling the antitragus and cauda helicis towards each other. While the muscle modifies the auricular shape only minimally in the majority of individuals, this action could increase the opening into the

external acoustic meatus The ear canal (external acoustic meatus, external auditory meatus, EAM) is a pathway running from the outer ear to the middle ear. The adult human ear canal extends from the pinna to the eardrum and is about in length and in diameter. Struct ...

in some. The helicis minor is developmentally derived from the second

pharyngeal arch The pharyngeal arches, also known as visceral arches'','' are structures seen in the embryonic development of vertebrates that are recognisable precursors for many structures. In fish, the arches are known as the branchial arches, or gill arche ...

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AnatomyExpert.com
Ear Muscles of the head and neck {{muscle-stub

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