One Hundred Years of Acarology in the Hawaiian Islands

Abstract

The Hawaiian Archipelago is the most isolated set of islands in the world, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 4000 km from the nearest major land mass and 1600 km from the nearest island group (Simon et al., 1984). Its isolation and the presence of diverse aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems including caves (Howarth, 1991), has facilitated evolution of a tremendous number of endemic species (Zimmermann, 1948; Carlquist, 1980). These endemic taxa have become the major focus of ecological, systematic and evolutionary studies. The diversity of the Hawaiian mite fauna is not an exception to this pattern. Although studies on mites have been sporadic, there are a century of studies of mites in the islands. I would like to share with you today how acarology came about in the islands, the many island and off-island biologists, acarologists and entomologists who have contributed to what is now known in the field, and, what lies ahead for our mitey friends.