Book Review

Abstract

MITES: ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION and BEHAVIOUR. By D. E. Walter & H. C. Proctor. CABI International, Wallingford, Oxon, U.K. 1999. Pp. 352. Hardcover. £42.50 (US$ 70.00). ISBN 085199 375 3. Acari (mites and ticks) form a major component of just about every terrestrial and aquatic habitat, and exhibit a myriad adaptations to fit them for a wide variety of life styles. The ease with which many species can be cultured, together with their short developmental time, make them ideal experimental animals. More often than not, however, acarines are excluded from behavioural, ecological and biodiversity studies. A fundamental obstacle to researchers wanting to obtain knowledge about these ubiquitous arthropods is the lack of suitable publications through which they can gain an entrée to the subject. The literature is widely scattered and there are few general accounts of the various aspects of acarine life. Comprehensive introductions to identification and functional morphology appear in Krantz 1978) and Evans 1992), respectively, and now Mites: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour complements and, in a significant number of aspects, updates these two works. Walter & Proctor state that their reason for writing this book was the desire to attract new students to acarology by describing the interesting and exciting things that mites do. The evident and infectious enthusiasm of the authors for their subject, together with the wealth of examples they give, make it highly likely that this goal will be achieved. However, it is not just newcomers that will benefit from this book, because it is also a fine reference source for experienced acarologists wanting to locate information on subjects with which they are unfamiliar. The first chapter serves to introduce mites (the authors use the term to cover all acarines) and to outline the content of those that follow. A certain knowledge of mite evolution, morphology and systematics is necessary to appreciate the accounts of behaviours and relationships that form the bulk of this book, and chapters 2 and 3 contain detailed outlines which will appropriately equip readers. The remaining chapters include discussions of life cycles, development, dispersal strategies, the interrelationships between developmental rates and size, methods of sperm transfer, the impact of intrasexual competition and intersexual selection on morphology and behaviour, parthenogenesis, the many life styles and adaptations of free-living mites and those associated with plants and animals, biodiversity, and the role of mites as model organisms. A useful appendix lists journals, websites and courses dedicated to acarology, whereas the concluding detailed index enables data to be easily located. When presenting such an enormous amount of information, there is always the risk of overwhelming the reader, but the text of this book is thoughtfully subdivided and broken up by scanning electron micrographs and line drawings of impressive quality. Apart from the first, each chapter ends with a summary which allows the reader to digest the preceding information. The authors also include succinct additional information to aid the reader, e.g. the explanation given in chapter 1 of how phylogenies are constructed using cladistic methodology. Overall, the book is well produced and there are few typographical errors. Unfortunately, a number of papers cited in chapter 8 do not appear in the reference list; however, the authors have now made these available on the world-wide web (http://www.uq.edu.au/entomology/miteref.html). The sensitive pricing makes this book very good value and therefore not beyond the pocket of its intended audience. I am sure it will become a well thumbed reference for acarologists of all levels.