Illustrations
Publishers:
CSIRO PUBLISHING / Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS)
Mites in Soil contains 5 interactive keys for the identification of 101 families of soil mites, and more than 60 higher-level taxa of soil micro-arthropods and related groups (Onycophora, Tardigrada).
The five keys are:
Classes and Orders of Microarthropods in Soil (31 classes and orders)
Mites in Soil - Orders, Suborders, Cohorts (31 suborders and cohorts)
Families of Protostigmata in Soil (43 families)
Families of Parasitiformes in Soil (46 families)
Endeostigmata and Sphaerolichida (12 families).
The keys, constructed primarily to deal with the Australian soil fauna, are broadly applicable, covering most classes and orders of terrestrial arthropods and most families of soil-litter inhabiting mites worldwide.
Quick and easy identification by order of major groups of soil organisms, many critical determinants of ecosystem health.
Information on classification of Acari (mites); differences between types of identification tools; how to extract, preserve and prepare mites (and other microarthropods) for identification; and how to study living mites.
Coverage of morphology, behaviour and ecology of mites is given in the introduction to each key.
Over 2000 line drawings, photos and colour-enhanced scanning electron micrographs.
The latest Lucid Player version 2.1 with HTML facilities including web searching.
This interactive identification guide has been produced with the widest possible range of users in mind: acarologists, systematists, bio-survey workers and educators. The keys dealing specifically with mites will be invaluable for identification and as tools for training of biologists in systematics and ecology of mites.
". . . definitely an interesting and valuable product on the emerging market of interactive computer identification tools . . . It provides a unique experience of data arrangement and contains a lot of ecological, faunistic and taxonomical information about soil mites of Australia." Andrei S Zaitsev, Justus-Liebig-University, Germany (Experimental and Applied Acarology v.30 no.4, 2003)