Mites are fascinating, if generally small arthropods mostly overlooked by the human beings who share their world. Despite their small size they are of considerable economic importance and a better understanding of them is good for the soul. If you would like to learn something, or discover more about mites, then this is the book for you. I can honestly say that I wish this book had been available when I wrote the mite pages for my site, they would most likely be much better if I had had a copy.
At 320 pages this is not a small book, and though it assumes know previous knowledge on behalf of the reader, it is in no way simplistic. Starting with a brief introduction to mites and their role in the worlds ecology, it continues into the endlessly fascinating intricacies of mite biology. mites are a highly variable group of organisms, more so than the spiders or other arachnids to which they are kin. the authors have done a commendable job of making available to the reader the full range of this diversity.
The book leads you from the origin of the mites through systematics, morphology, life cycles and development, to reproduction. This is followed by a series of breakdowns of mites in different habitats. The book ends with two overall chapters on 1) mites and biological diversity and 2) mites as biological models. As someone who counted 30 000 mites in an M.Phil on soil ecology, I was quite pleased to see a chapter on mites in soil ecology. Over all I found the design of the book pleasing and expect it will be popular among university students, as well as naturalists in general. The writing is lucid and there are a good number of B/W illustrations, as well as graphs and charts. Finally the 43 page bibliography leaves plenty of scope for those who wish to chase up original works.
Highly Recommended
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