Mites: Ecology, Evolution and Behavior [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

David Evans Walter (Author), Heather Coreen Proctor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1999

There are over 40 000 named species of mite, and if estimates for unnamed species are included, then up to 1 million may grace the planet. By comparison, there are approximately 40 000 species of vertebrates, half of them fish, alive today. Mites are predators, parasites, herbivores and detritivores. They live in the dark depths of the ocean, in the lungs of birds, on the leaves of rainforest plants, and in human clothes and bedding. They are vectors of disease, vital players in soil formation, and important agents of biological control. Despite the grand diversity of mites, these small arthropods are often overlooked, and even trained biologists can be unaware of their significance.This books aims to fill the gap in our understanding of these intriguing creatures. It surveys life cycles, feeding behaviour, reproductive biology and host-associations of mites, without requiring prior knowledge of their morphology or taxonomy. The text is richly illustrated with line drawings and photographs. Topics covered include evolution of mites and other arachnids, mites in soil and water, mites on plants and animals, sperm transfer and reproduction, and mites as models of ecological and evolutionary theories.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Before I read this book mites were just small arthropods that were responsible for clogging up berlese samples and that itchy feeling after hiking. Never again. I now know that the Acari exhibit a multitude of feeding and sexual behaviors, and comprise somewhere between 0.5 and 1 million species. The authors have produced a very digestible entry into the extensive and scattered literature on mite ecology and behavior, and their enthusiasm for the subject leaps from the page. ... The authors are very well known for their beautiful scanning electron micrographs of mites that render the external anatomy of mites in exquisite detail, and the illustrations throughout this work are excellent. The goal of this book is to attract new students to acarology by showing them that mites are interesting and exciting; the authors hope to infect others with their 'acarophilia.' I think that they will succeed ..."--The Quarterly Review of Biology

"This book surveys life cycles, feeding behavior, reproductive biology, and host associations of mites. Topics include: evolution of mites and other arachnids, mites in soil and water, mites on plants and animals, sperm transfer and reproduction, and mites as models of ecological and evolutionary theories."--Entomological News


"This book surveys life cycles, feeding behavior, reproductive biology, and host associations of mites. Topics include: evolution of mites and other arachnids, mites in soil and water, mites on plants and animals, sperm transfer and reproduction, and mites as models of ecological and evolutionary theories."--Entomological News
"Before I read this book mites were just small arthropods that were responsible for clogging up berlese samples and that itchy feeling after hiking. Never again. I now know that the Acari exhibit a multitude of feeding and sexual behaviors, and comprise somewhere between 0.5 and 1 million species. The authors have produced a very digestible entry into the extensive and scattered literature on mite ecology and behavior, and their enthusiasm for the subject leaps from the page. ... The authors are very well known for their beautiful scanning electron micrographs of mites that render the external anatomy of mites in exquisite detail, and the illustrations throughout this work are excellent. The goal of this book is to attract new students to acarology by showing them that mites are interesting and exciting; the authors hope to infect others with their 'acarophilia.' I think that they will succeed ..." --The Quarterly Review of Biology
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

David Evans Walter, Department of Entomology, University of Queensland. Heather Coreen Proctor, Proctor, Australian School of Environmental Studies, Griffith University. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 322 pages
• Publisher: New South Wales Univ Pr Ltd; illustrated edition edition (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0868405299
• ISBN-13: 978-0868405292
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,070,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mites for the general (scientific) audience, June 20, 2000

By 

Dr. Malcolm Vidrine (Eunice, Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mites: (Hardcover)

Walter and Proctor have produced a popular text for a general (scientific) audience. They deserve to be commended for challenging this group of minute animals that are mind-boggling not only in species variety but also in ecological diversity. The authors open numerous discussions on mites, which are often only passing topics in general courses in biology. Like all popular textbook efforts, there are always gaps in the material that reduce the quality of the final product. Notably, this book treats my favorite group, Unionicolidae, as though the year is 1980. It is unfortunate because recent research on the group would have enhanced their text considerably. Filling the gaps in our knowledge of this hidden biota is a lifelong pursuit, and books like this one help us to take stock of where we are as compilers of general knowledge. This book is a great starting point for researchers in the next millenium; and I hope it fills the authors' desires to stimulate interest in the mites among the readers.