Intra-familial correlations of dermatoglyphic traits in South Sinai Bedouins.

Correlation coefficients for some dermatoglyphic traits of the Muzeina Bedouins of South Sinai were determined in sib-sib, father-son, father-daughter, mother-son and mother-daughter comparisons. From among approximately 3000 members of the tribe, 60 male sib-sib pairs and 33 parental pairs, each with one son and one daughter, were selected for examination. The dermatoglyphic traits included finger pattern types, ridge counts with their intra-individual variability and bilateral asymmetry, and the incidence of palmar patterns. In such a small, biologically isolated and consanguineous population, the correlation coefficients for the diverse dermatoglyphic traits are expected to show some peculiarities. In general, we found them to be lower than in other populations. The difference is small for the complex traits with a multifactorial genetic determination, and more pronounced for the traits with a simpler genetic base. With diminution in the number of genes participating in the realization of a trait, the father-mother correlations increase owing to the intense consanguinity.