Publication:
IIKC: An Interactive Identification Key for female Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from the West Palearctic region

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Abstract
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.
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Keywords
Culicoides species, identification key, interactive key, bluetongue
Citation
Bruno Mathieu [et al.], IIKC: An Interactive Identification Key for female Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from the West Palearctic region, in Pier Luigi Nimis and Régine Vignes Lebbe (eds.): “Tools for Identifying Biodiversity: Progress and Problems. Proceedings of the International Congress, Paris, September 20-22, 2010”, Trieste, EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste, 2010, pp. pp. 201-205.