The morphological diversity of dermatoglyphic patterns on fingers—A simple and objective method for measurement

Publication date: Available online 22 October 2014 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): Wiesław Buchwald The paper contains a proposal for a simple way of measuring the morphological diversity of patterns on fingers. The mono/polymorphism index (I mp) is the sum of 45 mutual absolute differences between the numerical values of the patterns depending on their degree of morphological complexity. Wendt's 7-degree scale was used to quantify the patterns. The value I mp =0 denotes monomorphism, i.e., the presence of the same type of pattern on all the fingers of both hands, while high values denote a mosaic of patterns of diverse morphology (polymorphism). Elements of the individual values of the I mp index comprise mutual homolateral differences (10 differences for the fingers of the left hand and 10 differences for the right), on the basis of which an assessment was made between the sides of the body, and additionally 25 heterolateral differences. Generally, greater degree of morphological diversity in patterns is found in males, and on the fingers of the right hand in both sexes. The arithmetic mean of the I mp index differs significantly between males (55.17) and females (52.08). Its values are not directly related to the degree of morphological complexity of patterns included in the Wendt's index. There were found, however, intra-familial connections for this trait. In light of the values of the indices of correlation and association, it may be ...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: research