Introduction
Mosquitoes have been important vectors of human pathogens for thousands of years, the recent outbreak of Zika virus being the latest evidence of the continuing risk they present. To address the problem of identifying different mosquito species, taxonomists at the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU – http://wrbu.si.edu/), within the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Smithsonian Institution, have been working since the early 1960s to provide taxonomic information on the various genera and species of mosquito that transmit malaria, dengue and other pathogens.
The WRBU has focussed on building up, curating, and publishing on a mosquito collection, which is now the largest in the world, comprising over 1.5 million specimens. A primary role of the WRBU is to provide support for military personnel and others at the front line who require help in mosquito identification as part of vector-borne disease prevention. To this end, the Unit has been involved for some time in developing online computer-based identification keys for various regions of the world.
While some of these interactive, diagnostic matrix keys are still in development, many keys (>150) can be accessed from a Lucid Server via the WRBU website at – http://wrbu.si.edu/aors/aors_keys.html.
As shown in the following image, users can click on the geographic command (COM) area of concern for a list of keys appropriate to that region.
A recent development is the creation of Lucid Mobile Apps to enable easier access to the keys in the field. The first app is for Central American Malaria Vectors.
iOS App – Apple iTunes
Android – Google Play Store
Hal Cogger, one of Australia’s foremost reptile experts, has developed a Lucid key to 223 Australian snakes. It is expected to be published under the Lucid Mobile platform in the next couple of months.
This very popular and impressive key has now been released as an app.
An illustrated, interactive key to the Australian heterobranch sea slug families.
The Pacific Pest and Pathogens App has been updated again to include an additional 30 taxa and fact sheets, many of these being pests and pathogens of vegetable crops found in the Papua New Guinea highlands. The App now covers 300 pests and diseases.
The MyCrop key Apps (Wheat, Barley, Oats, Canola and Pluses) have all been recently updated.
Traffic – the wildlife trade monitoring network and the South African National Biodiversity Institute SANBI have been working on two identification keys to help assist customs officials, law enforcement officers, border police and Environmental Management Inspectors (EMI’s) working against the illegal wildlife and plant trade. The following two “IDentifyIT – Species” keys help inspectors identify plant and wildlife parts. They are now preparing to make these keys available to the public – see below.
We have been working with Dr Anders Hallan and Dr Winston Ponder from the 
