Diario del proyecto Mozzie Monitors - Australia

Archivos de diario de enero 2021

09 de enero de 2021

Updated to the Project profile

We have seen an increase in the number of observations particularly with the increased rainfall on the east coast, with some fantastic pictures submitted like this 'Hexham Grey' Aedes alternans (left, observed by @debtaylor142 ) and this 'Striped Mosquito' Aedes notoscriptus (right observed by @nomennudum) below.

It would be great for some of the more experienced observers to assist with identifications.
I have added some resources to the project description.
I have also included a link to observations requiring ID so if you want to help identify Mosquitoes on the project here is a list of all the observations in need of ID.

Can i make some suggestions, it would be fantastic to add the 'Observation Fields'
Blood fed
feeding on
when uploading observations or reviewing observations

Publicado el enero 9, 2021 12:54 MAÑANA por saltmarshsteve saltmarshsteve | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

14 de enero de 2021

Which species can we observe during Mozzie Month?

Mozzie Monitors is having several new observations in the past weeks!
It looks like the mozzies are everywhere as the weather is getting warmer all over Australia. Rainfalls in some places are also favouring mosquitoes, and the populations are increasing.

We have seen fantastic new photos of colourful, bright, scaled mosquitoes on our Mozzie Monitors project. Also, many of them are vicious biters of humans and other animals. Members of our Mozzie Monitors community have added new species to our list too.

We want to thank all iNat users who have been contributing to this fantastic source of information on mosquito fauna in Australia. Please keep sharing your observations of mozzies, so we can keep exploring their distribution around the country. Additionally, we want to call new participants for our new initiative, the Mozzie Month, from Feb 2nd to Mar 16th .

Mozzie Month will be a six-week mosquito monitoring using either the BG-GAT trap or the iNaturalist platform to monitor mosquitoes around Australia. Both methods are equally essential and bring complementary information to understand diversity, abundance and distribution of mozzies across the country. Please reach out to us on mozziemonitors@unisa.edu.au if you are interested in participating.

To participate:
- Using the trap -> Trap group is almost complete, we are seeking new participants only from Darwin and surroundings at this stage. If you are from that area and wish to participate, please email us on mozziemonitors@unisa.edu.au.
- Using the iNaturalist platform -> You can participate from anywhere in Australia. You need to have an account on iNaturalist (inaturalist.org) and submit your observations of mosquitoes. These data are valuable to explore species diversity and distribution. You can use either the app or the web-based platform. Check it out how to upload an observation on iNat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCShSn4E-mc&t=)

Please keep sharing your amazing observations on iNat, so we will prepare a report of the mozzies observed during Mozzie Month. Every observation is important to our community and it doesn't have to be a "professional" photo to be identifiable.

You can find more information on our website: POWO
You can also check this video that explains a little bit about the past trials and future goals. POWO

Some additional readings:

  • Please check our article on The Conversation on how to help fight vector and nuisance biting mozzies in our backyards.POWO
  • You may also want to check this article from Dr Cameron Webb (@mozziebites) on how to keep mozzies away. POWO

Publicado el enero 14, 2021 03:53 MAÑANA por saltmarshsteve saltmarshsteve | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

29 de enero de 2021

Top 10 species of mozzies on iNat

Do you know which mosquitoes are most commonly observed in Australia?

Mosquitoes are everywhere. We can find them in our backyards, sometimes buzzing around our ears when we try to sleep, biting our legs when we go for a walk, even when we are enjoying a Sunday afternoon picnic by the park. Besides the irritation and public health concerns, they also catch our eyes when displaying their bright colours or pollinating flowers.

There are thousands of mosquito species described in the world, and around 300 are known to occur in the Australasian region. Despite their nuisance impacts in our lives, only about a dozen species play a role in mosquito-borne diseases. Knowing their biology, abundance and distribution is crucial to help environmental and health departments manage the species.

Citizen science projects on mosquito surveillance, like Mozzie Monitors and Zika Mozzie Seeker in Australia, are engaging initiatives that allow the community to notice, learn, help raise data and increase scientific knowledge of mosquito populations as they engage in a hands-on approach.

Mozzie Monitors all over Australia are sharing incredible photos of our mosquito fauna and have registered almost 1,500 observations of over 50 species on iNaturalist. These photos show much more than mosquitoes. They also reveal interactions, distribution and behaviour. On Mozzie Monitors project, you can find fantastic images of blood-fed or feeding mozzies, larvae and eggs in their natural habitats, geographic location where the observations were made and even interactions with plants.

We organised a list with the top 10 mosquito species observed on iNaturalist, in Australia. Check it out!

10 Coquillettidia xanthogaster

Photo: (c) Dianne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/803891-Coquillettidia-xanthogaster

9 Aedes vittiger

Photo: (c) laz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA).
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1112146-Aedes-vittiger

8 Anopheles annulipes

Photo: (c) Geoffrey Cox, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/368702-Anopheles-annulipes

7 Aedes alternans

Photo: (c) debtaylor142, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/700911-Aedes-alternans

6 Culex quinquefasciatus

Photo: (c) Geoffrey Cox, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/155309-Culex-quinquefasciatus

5 Aedes alboannulatus

Photo: (c) iandb, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/793734-Aedes-alboannulatus

4 Aedes vigilax

Photo: (c) Jeannie, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1111828-Aedes-vigilax

3 Toxorhynchites speciosus

Photo: (c) jonandalisha, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/460871-Toxorhynchites-speciosus

2 Aedes camptorhynchus

Photo: (c) frank_prinz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/791192-Aedes-camptorhynchus

1 Aedes notoscriptus

Photo: (c) Stephen Fricker, all rights reserved.
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/407524-Aedes-notoscriptus

The most observed mosquito on iNaturalist, in Australia, is Aedes notoscriptus. This species is very noticeable due to its lyre shape pattern on the scutum. Have you ever seen this mozzie in your backyard?

I wonder which species we will observe during Mozzie Month?

Share your observations of mozzies too on https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/mozzie-monitors-australia?tab=observations

Read more:

mozziemonth #mozziemonitors #citizenscience #urbanecology #publichealth #WildOz #inaturalist #SnapB4USlap

Publicado el enero 29, 2021 06:40 MAÑANA por larissabrazsousa larissabrazsousa | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario