Sex Variation in Thumbprint Minutiae Among Hausa Lineage

Fingerprint minutiae show great individuality in different populations and also been considered as a basic feature used for identification in the field of Human Biology. The aim of the study is to determine the frequency distribution, sexual dimorphism and sex discriminating features using thumbprints minutiae. A total of 283 subjects comprising 147 males and 136 females (18-25 years) participated. Minutiae count was carried out within a circle with a diameter that passes through the nucleus. Independent sample t-test was used to test for sex differences. Steps wise binary logistic regression was applied to obtain a predicting equation that discriminates the sex of the individual. Significant sex differences were observed only in ridge end, break, enclosure, and bridges and opposite bifurcation. The higher mean value was only in break and bridges in the female participants. The single best sex discriminator in the minutiae was break and ridge ending with an accuracy of 66.5% and 65.4% for the right and left thumb. In conclusion, the thumbprint minutiae proved to be useful in sex discrimination among Hausa population. However, different sides (left and right) have varying degrees of discriminating accuracy.

Key Words: Population data, sex discrimination, identification, Hausa ethnic group