Application of Geometric Morphometrics to Archival Volar and Plantar Dermatoglyphics: A Methodological Framework for Population Variance and Developmental Instability Analyses in the Middle Volga Region

The study applies modern geometric morphometrics (GMM) to an archival dermatoglyphic dataset from the Volga Region (Russian Federation) to analyze the complete volar surface (palms, digits including distal, middle, and proximal phalanges) and plantar surface (soles and toes). We test the following hypotheses:- The multi-dimensional shape configurations of palmar/plantar triradii, flexion creases, and phalangeal ridge streams show distinct sexual dimorphism between young adult males and females.- True developmental instability can be captured via fluctuating asymmetry (FA) using a multi-dimensional Procrustes ANOVA framework across all anatomical zones, and the manifestation of FA differs between sexes.- Dermatoglyphic configurations exhibit significant allometric scaling, meaning local geometry covaries significantly with the overall size (Centroid Size) of the respective hand or foot field.- The quadrilateral asymmetry patterns (correlations between hand and foot FA) reflect systemic vs. localized embryonic developmental stress.