DOI: 10.5061/dryad.z08kprr92
title: Malaria vector mosquito images

description: We created a novel database of mosquito images by sampling live mosquitoes
 from established colonies maintained by the Malaria Research and Reference
 Reagent Resource (MR4)/ Biodefense and Emerging Infections (BEI) Resources
 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA.
 Adults of both sexes were imaged from 15 species of mosquitoes from there
 genera, 13 Anopheles, 2 Culex and 1 Aedes. There are a total of 1,709
 images. We included an additional strain of An. gambiae s.s. resulting in
 two categories of this species: G3 and KISUMU1. Finally, for An. stephensi
 we captured images of mosquitoes using the two methods of storing
 mosquitoes, freezing versus dried samples. Images are folders labeled by
 genus, species, strain, sex and storage method.
description: Mosquitoes were observed under a stereomicroscope (Leica M205)
 with a camera attachment of a 10-megapixel digital camera. A sheet of
 plain white paper was placed between the light source and the field in
 order to diffuse the light and reduce shadows in the images. In order to
 increase the variability of the photos collected to allow for a more
 robust computational analysis, each mosquito during sampling was oriented
 randomly to capture the ventral, dorsal, or lateral view. This was easy to
 accomplish with fresh specimens and only slightly more difficult to
 accomplish using the dried <i>An. stephensi</i> specimens. The
 latter tended to fall to the lateral or ventral view, requiring additional
 time to position them dorsally. Images ranged in magnification randomly
 from 10 to 40x, with some images capturing the entirety of the specimen
 including all leg segments, and others cropping out portions of the
 legs. The species and strains are the following:
 <em>Anopheles arabiensis</em>, Strain DONGOLA, MRA-856,
 contributed by Mark Q. Benedict; <em>Anopheles gambiae</em>,
 Strain MOPTI, MRA-763, contributed by Gregory C. Lanzaro (now called
 <em>Anopheles coluzzii</em>); <em>Anopheles
 gambiae</em>, Strain KISUMU1, MRA-762, contributed by Vincent
 Corbel; <em>Anopheles gambiae</em>, Strain G3, MRA-112,
 contributed by Mark Q. Benedict; <em>Anopheles merus</em>,
 Strain MAF, MRA-1156, contributed by Maureen Coetzee; <em>Anopheles
 funestus</em>, Strain FUMOZ, MRA-1027B, contributed by Maureen
 Coetzee; <em>Anopheles farauti</em> 17993, Strain FAR1,
 MRA-489, contributed by Mark Q. Benedict; <em>Anopheles
 minimus</em>, Strain MINIMUS1, MRA-729B, contributed by Mark Q.
 Benedict; <em>Anopheles stephensi</em>, Strain STE2, MRA-128,
 contributed by Mark Q. Benedict; <em>Anopheles stephensi</em>,
 Strain STE2, Bulk Frozen, MRA-128, contributed by Mark Q. Benedict;
 Anopheles albimanus, Strain STECLA, MRA-133B, contributed by Mark Q.
 Benedict; Anopheles atroparvus, Strain EBRO, MRA-493B, contributed by
 Carlos Aranda and Mark Q. Benedict; Anopheles freeborni, Strain F1,
 MRA-130, contributed by Mark Q. Benedict; Anopheles quadrimaculatus,
 Strain GORO, MRA-891, contributed by Mark Q. Benedict; Culex
 quinquefasciatus, Strain JHB, NR-43025; Culex tarsalis YOLO, NR-43026;
 Aedes aegypti, Strain COSTA RICA, MRA-726, contributed by William G.
 Brogdon.
description: Files are labeled using the filenames. The file names are shown
 as: genus_species_sex_strain_imagenumber.jpg