What is new about the Culicoides identification freeware?

In the framework of Medreonet workpackage on "Regional surveillance of vectors", a Culicoides identification key based on morphology is proposed. This key will help to identify the different Culicoides species, including those of the Palaearctic region. The tool will be available in a freeware version and in a web version. At time of writing, the key was not yet available but a first draft version was to be presented soon after to Culicoides taxonomists so as to improve it. Currently, females of 85 species including 9 morphological variations are included in a database of 63 descriptors codified in 172 states. These descriptors and states of descriptors were discussed and validated by the participants of the last taxonomic meeting in Strasbourg, France, in March 2009. (Texte intégral