Dermatoglyphics in Araucanian Indians from Patagonia and multivariate comparisons with other Argentinian aboriginal populations.

Digital and palmar dermatoglyphics are reported for 94 Araucanian Indians from the Argentinian Patagonia. All the traits analyzed present values within the range of variation found in South Amerindians. The principal finding is the different behavior observed for the digital and palmar traits of the individuals of the tribe. Although finger variables show high sexual and bimanual variation (especially in males), palmar traits exhibit extreme homogeneity. Multiple discriminant analyses from palmar data and finger ridge counts separately were carried out with three other Argentinian Indian populations from the Gran Chaco. The results indicate high discrimination between the populations in both palmar variables and finger ridge counts. However, although the nature of interpopulation relationships obtained from palmar data conforms to the ethnohistorical and geographic patterns, no clear picture emerges when the finger ridge counts are used.