Morphological ID

For the Close-kin Mark-Recapture project, accurate species identification is crucial. We use the “Key to the females of Afrotropical Anopheles mosquitoes” by Coetzee (2020) - accessible here (html) or pdf.

Target Species¶

Our primary targets are Anopheles funestus and Anopheles gambiae sl, which should be the predominant Anopheles species in the study area. Our study will focus on An. funestus, however, future work may be conducted on the An. gambiae specimens. Any Culex, Aedes, or other non-Anophelines mosquitoes can be immediately discarded.

Specimen handling and storage¶

1. Each team member should process and entire household collection together, keeping everything in one place.
2. Store identified specimens individually in barcoded 1.5ml Eppendorf tubes with silica gel and cotton wool
3. Record identification details in ODK form