Mites (Acari) of wild Colombian mammals and birds
Internship details
2010, 2012 and 2013
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Dr. Wauthy Georges
Animalia – Arthropoda – Arachnida (Acari)
Mites are one of the most diverse groups of Arachnida, with a great number of families, genera and species. Many species of mites are parasites of vertebrates, especially mammals and birds. Colombia is a very rich country in the last two taxa, but information regarding parasitic mites of wild animals is scattered in different journals. Furthermore, there are no checklists of parasitic mites of wild Colombian mammals and birds.
This project will generate, for the first time, basic lists of mites associated with wild mammals and birds present in Colombia. At the same time, this project will allow to identify parasitic mites found in our collection. The new knowledge will be available through the National Biodiversity Information System, SiB Colombia.