Myogale serratus subsp. dorsalis

WHIDDEN, HOWARD P., 2000, Comparative Myology of Moles and the Phylogeny of the Talpidae (Mammalia, Lipotyphla), American Museum Novitates 3294, pp. 1-53 : 20

M. serratus dorsalis anterior

ORIGIN: From the anterior surface of the interscapular ligament at the midline, dorsal to the muscular portion of M. rhomboideus posticus .

INSERTION: Via two slips, onto the dorsal surfaces of ribs 3 and 4.

REMARKS: This muscle has the same general form in Parascalops , Scalopus , Scapanus , and Talpa . Neurotrichus , Scaptonyx , and Urotrichus are basically similar, except that these taxa do not have an interscapular ligament, and this muscle originates from a median raphe that also gives origin to M. rhomboideus posticus . The origin in Condylura , Desmana , and Galemys is also from a median raphe, but insertion is via three slips, onto the dorsal surfaces of ribs 3, 4, and 5.

Reed (1951) reported that this muscle inserts only on the third rib in Neurotrichus , but in the specimens that I dissected there were clearly slips to both the third and fourth ribs.