Mites: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour

Rating:
Summary: Mites for the general (scientific) audience
Review: 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.