Feather mites are obligate commensals on or in the feathers of birds and are known to occur on every avian family except the penguins, totids, and ratites of South America and Australia. The more than 2,000 species (estimated to represent 10% of the total fauna) are assigned to 379 named and approximately 64 new genera arranged in 32 families and three superfamilies. Among these taxa there are many examples of convergent evolution of form, apparent coevoloution of hosts and commensals, and specializations for different microhabitats on and in feathers. At the present time, it is still practically impossible for non-specialists to make valid determinations even though there are many papers on feather mites. The reasons for this are simple - there are no reliable keys to families, few inclusive keys to genera and species within families, and no guides to the vast literature. In collaboration chiefly with Dr. J. Gaud (Nice, France), the leading authority of feather mites, we will rectify the lamentable situation concerning identification. We plan to produce an illustrated publication for the identification of the aforementioned supraspecific taxa. The first step is to complete illustrations of species to represent the 379 genera. These should be completed in one year. The combined 75 years of experience of Dr. J. Gaud and the principal investigator make us uniquely qualified to undertake this major project. When completed, the publication will open the field of feather mite systematics where so much basic research is needed, especially phylogenetic, biological and ontogenetic studies, and host-commensal relationships.
