Digital and palmar dermatoglyphics of two Egyptian northern Sinai tribes

Digital and palmar dermatoglyphics were analyzed in two northern Sinai tribes. The sample consists of 200 normal individuals (males and females), 100 from each tribe. The results were compared to urban Egyptians and some selected African tribes. A high degree of similarity was observed in most of dermatoglyphic traits between each tribe and the urban Egyptian sample. Certain quantitative dermatoglyphic traits of the two tribes showed a strong resemblance to those of African populations. These results may point to a common gene pool of the two tribes and the urban Egyptians. Moreover, the present study suggests some genetic admixture of the northern Sinai tribes with the neighboring African populations. The study emphasizes that the dermatoglyphic features are important biological elements that may prove or disprove the phenotypical and genotypical relationships between various populations in the different environments and geographical locations.