Levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle

Levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle

Muscles of the head, face, and neck. (Levator labii superioris alaeque nasi not labeled, but visible near nose.)
Latin	musculus levator labii superioris alaeque nasi
Origin:	maxilla
Insertion:	nostril and upper lip
Artery:
Nerve:	buccal branch of facial nerve, CN VII
Action:	dilates the nostril; elevates the upper lip and wing of the nose
Dorlands/Elsevier	m_22/12549606

The levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle is, translated from Latin, the "lifter of the upper lip and of the wing of the nose". It has the longest name of any muscle in an animal.

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Attachment

The muscle is attached to the upper frontal process of the maxilla and inserts into the skin of the lateral part of the nostril and upper lip.

Action

It dilates the nostril and elevates the upper lip, enabling one to snarl. Elvis Presley is famous for his use of this facial expression, earning the muscle this nickname "The Elvis muscle".

Mnemonic

The long name of muscle can make it hard to remember. A mnemonic to remember its name is, "Little Ladies Snore All Night." Snore- because it is the labial elevator closest to the nose.

v • d • e List of muscles of head and neck: the head
scalp/eyelid	occipitofrontalis (occipitalis, frontalis) - orbicularis oculi - corrugator supercilii - depressor supercilii
extraocular	levator palpebrae superioris - superior tarsal - rectus (superior, inferior, medial, lateral) - oblique (superior, inferior)
intraocular	ciliary - iris dilator - iris sphincter
ear	auriculares - temporoparietalis - stapedius - tensor tympani
nose	procerus - nasalis (dilatator naris) - depressor septi nasi - levator labii superioris alaeque nasi
mouth	levator anguli oris/depressor anguli oris - levator labii superioris/depressor labii inferioris - zygomaticus (major, minor) - mentalis - buccinator - orbicularis oris - risorius
mastication	masseter - temporalis - pterygoid (lateral, medial)
tongue	extrinsic (genioglossus, hyoglossus, chondroglossus, styloglossus) - intrinsic (superior longitudinal, inferior longitudinal, transversus, verticalis)
soft palate	levator veli palatini - tensor veli palatini - musculus uvulae - palatoglossus - palatopharyngeus
pharynx	pharyngeal constrictor (inferior, middle, superior) - stylopharyngeus - salpingopharyngeus
larynx	cricothyroid - cricoarytenoid (posterior, lateral) - arytenoid - thyroarytenoid