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Background and methods  The appearance of bluetongue virus (BTV) in 2006 within northern Europe exposed a lack of expertise and resources available across this region to enable the accurate morphological identification of species of  Culicoides  Latreille biting midges, some of which are the major vectors of this pathogen. This work aims to organise extant  Culicoides  taxonomic knowledge into a database and to produce an interactive identification key for females of  Culicoides  in the Western Palaearctic (IIKC: Interactive identification key for  Culicoides ). We then validated IIKC using a trial carried out by six entomologists based in this region with variable degrees of experience in identifying  Culicoides .    Results  The current version of the key includes 98  Culicoides  species with 10 morphological variants, 61 descriptors and 837 pictures and schemes. Validation was carried out by six entomologists as a blind trial with two users allocated to three classes of expertise (beginner, intermediate and advanced). Slides were identified using a median of seven steps and seven minutes and user confidence in the identification varied from 60% for failed identifications to a maximum of 80% for successful ones. By user class, the beginner group successfully identified 44.6% of slides, the intermediate 56.8% and the advanced 74.3%.    Conclusions  Structured as a multi-entry key, IIKC is a powerful database for the morphological identification of female  Culicoides  from the Western Palaearctic region. First developed for use as an interactive identification key, it was revealed to be a powerful back-up tool for training new taxonomists and to maintain expertise level. The development of tools for arthropod involvement in pathogen transmission will allow clearer insights into the ecology and dynamics of  Culicoides  and in turn assist in understanding arbovirus epidemiology.

parasites and vectors

Development and validation of IIKC: an interactive identification key for Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) females from the Western Palaearctic region