摘要：The palmar dermatoglyphics of 461 Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ) were studied. The sample was divided into five groups according to geographical location, and included four groups of the subspecies Macaca f. fuscata and one group of the subspecies M. f. yakui . Chi-square analysis of group differences in the frequencies of dermatoglyphic pattern type and ridge direction showed significant intraspecific differentiation. The two groups showing the most differences from the other three groups were the subspecies Macaca f. yakui (YAKUS group) and the northernmost group of M. f. fuscata (SIMOK group) from the Shimokita Peninsura. Cluster analysis applied to pattern intensity values, which were derived from the pattern types, confirmed the greater biological distance of the SIMOK and especially the YAKUS groups from the others. The extent of intraspecific variation observed in the dermatoglyphic system may reflect the operation of genetic drift in these insular populations.
