Occipitalis muscle

The occipitalis muscle (occipital belly) is a muscle which covers parts of the skull. Some sources consider the occipital muscle to be a distinct muscle. However, Terminologia Anatomica currently classifies it as part of the occipitofrontalis muscle along with the frontalis muscle.

Occipitalis muscle
Muscles of the face and neck (occipitalis muscle visible at center right in red)
Details
Origin	Superior nuchal line of the occipital bone and mastoid process of the temporal bone
Insertion	Galea aponeurosis
Artery	Occipital artery
Nerve	Posterior auricular nerve (a branch of the facial nerve)
Actions	Moves the scalp back
Identifiers
Latin	venter occipitalis musculi occipitofrontalis
TA98	A04.1.03.005
TA2	2057
FMA	46758
Anatomical terms of muscle [edit on Wikidata]

The occipitalis muscle is thin and quadrilateral in form. It arises from tendinous fibers from the lateral two-thirds of the superior nuchal line of the occipital bone and from the mastoid process of the temporal and ends in the epicranial aponeurosis.^[1]

The occipitalis muscle is innervated by the posterior auricular nerve (a branch of the facial nerve) and its function is to move the scalp back.^[2] The muscles receives blood from the occipital artery.

Additional image

• 
  Position of occipitalis muscle (shown in red).

See also

• Occipitofrontalis muscle

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 379 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

1. Stone, Robert & Judith (2000). Atlas of skeletal muscles. McGraw-Hill. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-07-290332-4.
2. Drake, Richard L.; Vogl, A. Wayne; Mitchell, Adam W. M. (2010). Gray's Anatomy for Students (2nd ed.). p. 857. ISBN 978-0-443-06952-9.

External links

• PTCentral