A grant has been awarded to Ohio State University under the direction of Dr. Johannes S. Klompen to construct a database for the OSU Acarology (ticks and mites) collection. Data from specimen labels will be captured and entered into a relational database accessible via the Internet. The collection of 117,000 slide mounted specimens and 17,000 specimens preserved in alcohol represents an important collection of organisms that have great economic and ecological importance. During data capture, information on locality and habitat will be updated and entered into a web-accessible format that allows users to search through the collection using a wide number of criteria and search terms. Information on the specimens will provide useful data for these organisms that are very small and generally poorly known. Information on ticks and mites will be used by public health workers interested in distribution records of ticks, extension agents dealing with mites in greenhouses, and educators who wish to use mites (such as the colorful water mites) for teaching purposes.
