NEON Biorepository Mosquito Collection (Bulk Identified)

Vials of mosquitoes identified to species and sex collected at CO₂ CDC light traps at NEON terrestrial sites. Sampling Up to ten plots sampled per NEON site Sampling bout frequency dependent on site and season type Core sites/off-season: Three plots every week (while warm) Core sties/field season: Ten plots every two weeks Gradient sites/off-season: Not sampled Gradient sites/field season: Ten plots every four weeks Pre-2018: bout consisted of ~36 hours of trapping (two nights and the intervening day) 2018 onward: bout consists of ~24 hours of trapping (one night and one daytime interval) Methods Adult mosquitoes captured using CO₂-baited CDC light traps During the field season, traps are emptied twice during a bout (once every ~12 hours) Preservation Sent to professional taxonomists for identification to species and sex Representative individuals may be pinned and optionally sent for DNA barcoding Species-sex groups combined by site bout and sent for pathogen testing or archived From 2024, blood-fed mosquitoes are archived separately Stored in 2–15 mL cryovials in liquid nitrogen, or at −80 °C before 2020