PEET: Phylogeny and Historical Ecology of Mite Parasites of Vertebrates (ACARI: Dermanyssoidea and Sarcoptoidea)

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The Acari, ticks and mites, includes the greatest diversity of animals outside of the insects. In spite of its great diversity, the study of acarine systematics, evolution, and ecology is hampered by a declining number of active taxonomic specialists. This study focuses on two major lineages of parasitic mites associated with mammals: Dermanyssoidea and Sarcoptoidea. These groups, with more than 1,000 species, have never been analyzed phylogenetically at the suprageneric level. Field studies will concentrate on poorly known faunas in Madagascar and the Philippines. Taxonomic monographs will be produced for several families for these insular areas including descriptions of many new species, phylogenetic hypotheses integrating morphological and molecular evidence, and catalogs of mammalian hosts for all dermanyssoid and sarcoptoid groups worldwide.This research will have immediate and longterm benefits to a wide range of biologists. It will provide a predictive, conceptual framework for a large number of mites of medical, veterinary, ecological, and evolutionary interest as well as an easily accessible source for identification and host information. Concentration on the endangered faunas of Madagascar and the Philippines may also aid conservation biologists and epidemiologists in understanding the interactions of native and introduced host-parasite systems and their roles in these rapidly changing ecosystems. Students will develop skills and knowledge in both morphological and molecular methods of systematic analysis. In all, three graduate students and a great number of undergraduate students will be trained in the systematics, ecology, and evolution of parasitic mites. Results of the research will be made accessible electronically.