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Crowdsourcing for large-scale mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) sampling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 May 2014

Elin C. Maki
Affiliation:
Center for Grain and Animal Health Research, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1515 College Ave., Manhattan, Kansas 66502, United States of America
Lee W. Cohnstaedt*
Affiliation:
Center for Grain and Animal Health Research, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1515 College Ave., Manhattan, Kansas 66502, United States of America
*
Corresponding author (e-mail: Lee.Cohnstaedt@ars.usda.gov).

Abstract

Sampling a cosmopolitan mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) species throughout its range is logistically challenging and extremely resource intensive. Mosquito control programmes and regional networks operate at the local level and often conduct sampling activities across much of North America. A method for large-scale sampling of two mosquito species using crowdsourcing to network with these local and regional programmes is described. A total of 961 mosquito vector and control districts, health departments, and individual collectors across the United States of America and Canada were contacted in 2011 and 2012 of which 9% positively responded by sending mosquitoes. In total, 1101 unique population samples of Aedes vexans (Meigen) and Culex tarsalis Coquillett were collected throughout their range in these two countries. Aedes vexans outgroup samples were also submitted from Europe and Asia. This is the largest crowd-sourced collection of samples to date.

Type
Techniques – NOTE
Copyright
© Entomological Society of Canada 2014 

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Footnotes

Subject editor: Kateryn Rochon

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