Research Article

Assessment of expertise in morphological identification of mosquito species (Diptera, Culicidae) using photomicrographs

Évaluation de l’expertise en identification morphologique des espèces de moustiques (Diptera, Culicidae) à l’aide de photomicrographies

¹ MIVEGEC Unit, Montpellier Univ., IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France
² Hacettepe Univ., Fac. of Science, Dept. of Biology, VERG Laboratories, Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
³ Head of the Research Laboratory of Parasitology and Vector Borne Diseases – National Centre for Disease Control, Gorji, near to Sports City, Pox 71171, Tripoli, Libya
⁴ Head Vector Borne Diseases Control Department – National Centre for Disease Control, Gorji, near to Sports City, Pox 71171, Tripoli, Libya
⁵ Zoology Department University of Tripoli, National Center for Diseases Control, University Road. 1, 13793 Tripoli, Libya
⁶ University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, Laboratory for Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 8, Novi Sad, Serbia
⁷ Department of Ecology and Environmental Improvement “PUC City Sanitation”, Trebevicka 16, 11030 Belgrade, Serbia
⁸ Biotechnical Faculty – University of Montenegro, Biotechnical Faculty, Mihaila Lalića 15, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro
⁹ Institute of Public Health, Dep. of Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases, Vectors’ Control Unit, Str. “Aleksander Moisiu”, No. 80, Tirana, Albania
¹⁰ Head of Laboratory of Episootology, Ectoparasitology and Entomology, 37 Davit Malyan str., Yerevan 0060, Armenia
¹¹ Head of Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases Epidemiology Dpt, NCDC, MoH, 12 Heratsi street, Yerevan 0025, Armenia
¹² Vector Control Unit, Environmental Health Department, Ministry of Health, Ajnadeen st., Ramallah, Palestine
¹³ Laboratoire de Virus, Vecteurs et Hôtes (LR20IPT02), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université Tunis El Manar, Tunisia, 13 place Pasteur, Tunis 1002, Tunisia
¹⁴ Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo 11566, Egypt
¹⁵ Laboratoire des Maladies Vectorielles. Institut Pasteur du Maroc, 1 Place Louis Pasteur, 20 360 Casablanca, Morocco
¹⁶ Service de Parasitologie et des Maladies Vectorielles, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, 1 Place Louis Pasteur, 20 360 Casablanca, Morocco
¹⁷ Department for Vector and Pest Control with Laboratory of Entomology, PHI Center for public health-Skopje, Blvd. 3rd Macedonian Brigade 18, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
¹⁸ Laboratory for Virology and Molecular Diagnostics, Institute of Public Health, Health of Rep. of North Macedonia, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
¹⁹ Laboratoire d’Eco-épidémiologie Parasitaire et Génétique des Populations, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, Route du Petit Staouéli, Dely Ibrahim, Alger, Algérie
²⁰ Laboratory of Immunology and Vector-Borne Diseases, Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Street 37, Pierre Gemayel Campus, Fanar-El Metn, Lebanon
²¹ University “Hasan Prishtina”, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo. Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Department of Biology, Str. Mother Teresa. p.n., 10.000 Prishtinë, Kossovo
²² Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary, University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”, Prishtina, Kosovo, Boul. « Bill Clinton » , n.a., 10000 Prishtina, Kosovo
²³ Parasitic and Zoonotic Diseases Division, National Malaria Control Program, Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan
²⁴ Public institution Veterinary Institute of the Republic of Srpska “Dr. Vaso Butozan”, Center for Animal Health and Food Safety, Branka Radicevica 18, Banja Luka 78000, Bosnia and Herzegovina
²⁵ Zoo Entomology Laboratory, R. Lugar Center for Public Health Research, National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Georgia, 99, Kakheti Highway, 0198 Tbilisi, Georgia
²⁶ Unit of Entomology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
²⁷ Francis Schaffner Consultancy, Lörracherstrasse 50, 4125 Riehen, Switzerland

^* Corresponding author: vincent.robert@ird.fr

Received: 11 July 2022
Accepted: 16 September 2022

Abstract

Accurate identification of insect species is an indispensable and challenging requirement for every entomologist, particularly if the species is involved in disease outbreaks. The European MediLabSecure project designed an identification (ID) exercise available to any willing participant with the aim of assessing and improving knowledge in mosquito taxonomy. The exercise was based on high-definition photomicrographs of mosquitoes (26 adult females and 12 larvae) collected from the western Palaearctic. Sixty-five responses from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East were usable. The study demonstrated that the responders were better at identifying females (82% correct responses) than larvae (63%). When the responders reported that they were sure of the accuracy of their ID, the success rate of ID increased (92% for females and 88% for larvae). The top three tools used for ID were MosKeyTool (72% of responders), the ID key following Becker et al. [2010. Mosquitoes and their control, 2nd edn. Berlin: Springer] (38%), and the CD-ROM of Schaffner et al. [2001. Les moustiques d’Europe: logiciel d’identification et d’enseignement – The mosquitoes of Europe: an identification and training programme. Montpellier: IRD; EID] (32%), while other tools were used by less than 10% of responders. Responders reporting the identification of mosquitoes using the MosKeyTool were significantly better (80% correct responses) than non-MosKeyTool users (69%). Most responders (63%) used more than one ID tool. The feedback from responders in this study was positive, with the exercise being perceived as halfway between educational training and a fun quiz. It raised the importance of further expanding training in mosquito ID for better preparedness of mosquito surveillance and control programmes.

Résumé

L’identification précise des espèces d’insectes est une exigence indispensable et difficile pour tout entomologiste, en particulier si l’espèce est impliquée dans des épidémies. Le projet européen MediLabSecure a conçu un exercice d’identification (ID) accessible à tout participant volontaire dans le but d’évaluer et d’améliorer les connaissances en taxonomie des moustiques. L’exercice était basé sur des photomicrographies haute définition de moustiques (26 femelles adultes et 12 larves) prélevées dans le Paléarctique occidental. Soixante-cinq réponses d’Europe, d’Afrique du Nord et du Moyen-Orient ont été utilisables. L’étude a démontré que les répondants étaient meilleurs pour identifier les femelles (82 % de réponses correctes) que les larves (63 %). Lorsque les répondants ont déclaré être sûrs de l’exactitude de leur ID, le taux de réussite de l’identification était meilleur (92 % pour les femelles et 88 % pour les larves). Les trois principaux outils utilisés pour les ID étaient MosKeyTool (72 % des répondants), la clé d’identification du livre de Becker et al. (38%) et le CD-ROM de Schaffner et al. (32 %), tandis que d’autres outils étaient utilisés par moins de 10 % des répondants. Les répondants déclarant identifier des moustiques à l’aide de MosKeyTool étaient significativement meilleurs (80 % de réponses correctes) que les non-utilisateurs de MosKeyTool (69 %). La plupart des répondants (63 %) ont utilisé plus d’un outil d’identification. Les commentaires des répondants de cette étude ont été positifs, l’exercice étant perçu comme à mi-chemin entre une formation pédagogique et un quiz amusant. Il a souligné l’importance d’étendre la formation complémentaire à l’identification des moustiques pour une meilleure préparation des programmes de surveillance et de contrôle des moustiques.