ABSTRACT
Forty eight random families from the population of Andhra Pradesh were selected for the analysis of digital dermatoglyphic patterns and patterns intensity index (PII). The loops were found to be more frequent in the present sample followed by whorls and arches. Sex difference was not evident in the frequency distribution of digital patterns. There was no significant bilateral assymetry in the distribution of digital patterns between the right and left hands of the individuals. The dermatoglyphic patterns showed a specific trend in their distribution on individual fingers, i.e., whorls occurred frequently on finger IV, ulnar loops on finger V, radial loops on finger II and arches on finger II. The pattern intensity index as calculated from the different digital patterns exhibited high heritability values. The correlation coefficients of pattern intensity index between various familial relationships were found to be significant indicating the involvement of genetic factors, mostly autosomal. The partitioning of total phenotypic variance into various components of variance revealed the action of polygenes with more of additive effect, dominance deviation being negligible. This was confirmed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). In general, our study indicated the involvement of polygenes with additive effect and also of environmental components which might be intra-uterine in origin.