Caudofemoralis

Last updated March 18, 2019

The caudofemoralis (from the Latin cauda, tail and femur, thighbone) is a muscle found in the pelvic limb of mostly all animals possessing a tail. It is thus found in nearly all tetrapods.^[1]

Muscle is a soft tissue found in most animals. Muscle cells contain protein filaments of actin and myosin that slide past one another, producing a contraction that changes both the length and the shape of the cell. Muscles function to produce force and motion. They are primarily responsible for maintaining and changing posture, locomotion, as well as movement of internal organs, such as the contraction of the heart and the movement of food through the digestive system via peristalsis.

Tetrapods (from Greek: τετρα- "four" and πούς "foot") are four-limbed animals constituting the superclass Tetrapoda. It includes existing and extinct amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Tetrapods evolved from a group of animals known as the Tetrapodomorpha which, in turn, evolved from ancient Sarcopterygii around 390 million years ago in the middle Devonian period; their forms were transitional between lobe-finned fishes and the four-limbed tetrapods. The first tetrapods appeared by the late Devonian, 367.5 million years ago; the specific aquatic ancestors of the tetrapods, and the process by which they colonized Earth's land after emerging from water remains unclear. The change from a body plan for breathing and navigating in water to a body plan enabling the animal to move on land is one of the most profound evolutionary changes known. The first tetrapods were primarily aquatic. Modern amphibians, which evolved from earlier groups, are generally semiaquatic; the first stage of their lives is as fish-like tadpoles, and later stages are partly terrestrial and partly aquatic. However, most tetrapod species today are amniotes, most of those are terrestrial tetrapods whose branch evolved from earlier tetrapods about 340 million years ago. The key innovation in amniotes over amphibians is laying of eggs on land or having further evolved to retain the fertilized egg(s) within the mother.

Location

The caudofemoralis spans plesiomorphically between femur (thigh) and tail; in mammals it is reduced and found directly posterior/caudal to the gluteus maximus and directly anterior/cranial to the biceps femoris.

The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds. While tails are primarily a feature of vertebrates, some invertebrates including scorpions and springtails, as well as snails and slugs, have tail-like appendages that are sometimes referred to as tails. Tailed objects are sometimes referred to as "caudate" and the part of the body associated with or proximal to the tail are given the adjective "caudal".

Origin and insertion

The caudofemoralis originates from the transverse processes of the second, third and fourth caudal vertebrae. The caudodistal portion of the muscle in mammals lies deep to the proximocranial portion of the Biceps femoris; near the middle of the thigh, the caudofemoralis gives rise to a long, thin, and narrow tendon that passes distally to the knee joint and inserts into the fascia lata that is anchored to the lateral border of the patella.^[1]
In human anatomy, the thigh is the area between the hip (pelvis) and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.
A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension.
The fascia lata is the deep fascia of the thigh. It encloses the thigh muscles and forms the outer limit of the fascial compartments of thigh, which are internally separated by intermuscular septa. The fascia lata is thickened at its lateral side where it forms the iliotibial tract, a structure that runs to the tibia and serves as a site of muscle attachment.

Among archosaurians the caudofemoralis is divided in a pars pelvica/brevis (characterized by a pelvic origin) and a pars caudalis/longa (caudal origin), and the insertion on the femur is marked by the fourth trochanter (but this becomes reduced in maniraptorans and absent in birds).

The fourth trochanter is a shared characteristic common to archosaurs. It is a knob-like feature on the posterior-medial side of the middle of the femur shaft that serves as a muscle attachment, mainly for the musculus caudofemoralis longus, the main retractor tail muscle that pulls the thighbone to the rear.

Maniraptora is a clade of coelurosaurian dinosaurs that includes the birds and the non-avian dinosaurs that were more closely related to them than to Ornithomimus velox. It contains the major subgroups Avialae, Deinonychosauria, Oviraptorosauria and Therizinosauria. Ornitholestes and the Alvarezsauroidea are also often included. Together with the next closest sister group, the Ornithomimosauria, Maniraptora comprises the more inclusive clade Maniraptoriformes. Maniraptorans first appear in the fossil record during the Jurassic Period, and are regarded as surviving today as living birds.

Action

In mammals the caudofemoralis acts to flex the tail laterally to its corresponding side when the pelvic limb is bearing weight. When the pelvic limb is lifted off the ground, contraction of the caudofemoralis causes the limb to abduct and the shank to extend by extending the hip joint (acetabulofemoral or coxofemoral joint). In other tetrapods contraction of the caudofemoralis retracts the hindlimb.

In vertebrate anatomy, hip refers to either an anatomical region or a joint.

Cited References

1 2 Rosenzweig, Lionel J. (1990). Anatomy of the Cat: Text and Dissection Guide. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown Publishers. p. 110. ISBN 0697055795. OCLC 21078189. OL 2066111M.

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[Rosenzweig-1] 1 2 Rosenzweig, Lionel J. (1990). Anatomy of the Cat: Text and Dissection Guide. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown Publishers. p. 110. ISBN 0697055795. OCLC 21078189. OL 2066111M.