In vivo responses of arterioles and venules to changes in bath calcium concentrations were observed in the cremaster muscle of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Small arterioles (2A, 3A) initially exposed to a solution containing calcium (2.55 mM) significantly dilated in response to a 0-calcium bath. Reexposure to calcium (greater than 0.65 mM) caused 2A and 3A arterioles to constrict to diameters similar to the initial control values. In contrast, large arterioles (1A) and all venules (1V, 2V, 3V) were unresponsive to exposure to a 0-calcium solution or to reexposure to calcium (0.65-5.10 mM). Treatment with mefenamic acid (10 micrograms/ml), a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor, produced marked constriction of arterioles but not of venules, suggesting the involvement of endogenous vasodilator prostaglandins in the regulation of resting diameters of arterioles. In the presence of mefenamic acid, 1A arterioles dilated when exposed to a 0-calcium solution and constricted back to control diameters following reintroduction of calcium into the bath. These data demonstrate heterogeneity in the responsiveness of cremasteric microvessels to changes in extracellular calcium. The small arterioles were most responsive to calcium. The lack of response by the largest arterioles appears to be due to the dilator influences of endogenous prostaglandins.