Case Study
Submitted By
| Name: | Mirka Dabert |
| Institution: | Adam Mickiewicz University |
| Country: | Poland |
| Email: | mirkad@amu.edu.pl |
Title & Categories
| Case Study Title: | DNA barcodes for mites and ticks (Acari) of the World |
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Scope
Mites and ticks (Acari) are the most numerous arachnid groups with world fauna of about 40 000 named species and probably several times more to be discovered. Due to extreme body miniaturization they are able to occupy wide range of terrestrial and water habitats throughout the world. They exploit all imaginable food sources. Many groups are parasites of animals, mostly vertebrates. There are no barcode data for this huge animal group.
Purpose
The purpose of this long-term project is to collect representatives of as many as possible mite taxa, both of freshly sampled as well as conserved material (frozen, alcohol preserved, dried). The DNA barcode is intended to be a part of the standard systematic description of new or redescribed species in Acari. The DNA-based discovering of cryptic mite species is also an important aim of the project.
Background
The Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland owns collections of mite material of all major groups: Gamasida, Astigmata, Oribatida, Prostigmata, Endeostigmata; acarologists being experts in particular taxonomic groups have sampled these collections. Other collections are invited to participate if they are interested.
Logistics
To accomplish these goals we will collaborate with wide range of acarologists from the entire world. All the techniques concerning DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing are conducted in Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, AMU. DNA vouchers are deposited at AMU, exoskeleton vouchers could be sent to authors on request.