Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (02): 310-321.doi: 10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2025.0043

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Dermatoglyphic phenome of the Mongolian people in Inner Mongolia

ZHEN Wentian1(), ZHANG Haiguo1,2, YANG Haitao3, TAN Jingze1, QIAO Hui1, YUAN Ziyu3, ZANG Jun3, YAN Mingliang4, WANG Jiucun1()   

  1. 1. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Academy of Life Sciences, Fudan University,Shanghai 200438
    2. School of Basic Medicine, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025
    3. Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Fudan University, Taizhou 225316
    4. Graduate School of Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022
  • Received:2025-01-26 Revised:2025-05-18 Online:2026-04-15 Published:2026-04-17

Abstract:

Dermatoglyphics, formed by the raised ridge patterns on the skin surface, play a crucial role in personal identification, population genetics, and disease diagnosis. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of soleprint phenotypes in the Mongolian population. Additionally, a comprehensive analysis of dermatoglyphic patterns in this population is presented, encompassing frequency distributions and combination characteristics across genders and bilateral sides. Specifically, we examined: 1) fingerprint patterns categorized as simple arch, tented arch, radial loop, ulnar loop, simple whorl, and double whorl; 2) palmprint phenotypes including the pattern in the thenar, hypothenar, interdigital regions II, III, IV, and their transitional regions (II/III, III/IV), along with the prevalence of simian lines, triple radial base lines, cdt triradius; 3) soleprint phenotypes in interdigital regions II, III, and IV, along with patterns observed in the hallucal region, hypothenar region, and calcar region. Our analysis in Mongolian population revealed distinct dermatoglyphic pattern distributions across different fingers: double whorl exhibited higher frequency in thumbs, radial loop predominated in index fingers, ulnar loop showed increased prevalence in middle and little fingers, and simple whorl were more common in ring fingers. Bilateral symmetry was observed in homologous fingers, demonstrating a significant tendency for pattern concordance. The pentadactyl pattern combinations exhibited non-random distribution characteristics. Regarding palmprint configurations, the highest frequency of true patterns was observed in interdigital region IV. Soleprint analysis indicated a predominance of loop pattern on the hallucal region, with arch patterns showing relatively lower frequency. Through cluster analysis and principal component analysis of 39 Chinese ethnic groups with complete soleprint phenotypes, we have identified three distinct population clusters: Southern, Northern, and Central Asian groups, based on dermatoglyphic phenotypes. Intra-site phenotypic correlation analysis demonstrated significant associations between fingerprint patterns, as well as between true patterns in palmprint and soleprint interdigital regions. Cross-site analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between total fingerprint ridge count (TFRC) and palm a-b ridge count (a-b RC), suggesting that populations with higher TFRC tend to exhibit increased ridge counts in the a-b interdigital region. Furthermore, significant correlations were identified between palmar and plantar interdigital regions, with palm interdigital regions showing the highest frequency of true pattern occurrence. These interregional associations warrant further investigation as potential focal points for future research. Notably, soleprint demonstrate significant diagnostic value, contributing up to 25% of the discriminative information in specific disease identification. This study not only fills the gap in the study of Mongolian soleprints, but also provides a theoretical basis for the application of dermatoglyphics in individual identification, population discriminant, and auxiliary diagnosis of diseases.

Key words: dermatoglyphics phenomics, fingerprint, palmprint, soleprint, Mongolian

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