In 2006, bluetongue virus (BTV) outbreaks appeared surprisingly in northern Europe and widely affected most of the European countries. Correct identification of Culicoides species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), known as BTV vectors, is a key component of all studies intending to understand vector dynamics and to develop vector control strategies. A computer-based system, Xper2, was used to develop an Interactive Identification Key (IIKC) for female Culicoides from the West Palearctic region. The current version of IIKC includes 108 taxa, 61 descriptors and 837 pictures and schemes. IIKC is a powerful tool for routinely identifying Culicoides species and for training young specialized taxonomists.

Computer Aided Identification (CAI) systems provide users with the resources to relate morpho-anatomic observations with names of taxa, and to subsequently access other knowledge about the organisms. Xper² version 2.1 is one of the most user-friendly software in its category. It provides a complete environment dedicated to taxonomic descriptions management. While assisting taxonomists with knowledge acquisition for identification keys, it also helps with the publication of descriptive data by providing a large panel of tools, including analysis facilities (comparison of taxa or descriptors used), full traceability of information and knowledge (by adding references or external links). Xper² provides excellent support for automatic online publication of descriptive data and free access keys, as well as for exporting of datasets for phylogenetic and systematic research. It focuses on interoperability between systems and can import and export into structured descriptive data format (TDWG-SDD), and export to HTML and Nexus formats. Written in Java, it is available on Windows™ Mac™ or Linux in French, English, and Spanish, and a new Chinese version can also be downloaded. With its intuitive interface, Xper² is aimed at professional taxonomists as well as naturalists who merely want to identify specimens using a readymade application. Xper² is free of charge. It can be downloaded at: LINK