Dermatoglyphic sexual dimorphism in Middle Eastern Jews

Abstract

Summary. — The dermatoglyphics of Jews of Middle Eastern extraction display, in general, the same features as do the majority of Caucasoid populations. In males there are more whorls and fewer ulnar loops than in females, and in correlation with this, a higher pattern intensity index, and higher total and absolute ridge counts. On the palms, where the image is more varied in diverse populations, the males of our sample, show more patterns in the left and right thenar areas and in the hypothenar area, especially on its left side. Some other palmar traits, as the line A exits and the a-b distance, present also significant differences between the sexes. Using only dermatoglyphic traits with high discriminant power (F > 4), discriminant analysis permits a correct classification by sex of 63,3 % of individuals, which is slightly better than in the North African but less than in East European or Yemenite Jewish groups. This indicates different levels of sexual dimorphism in populations otherwise possessing similar dermatoglyphic characteristics, and suggests the possible role of environmental prenatal factors in attainment of the dermatoglyphic sexual dimorphism level.