Which insects have been sequenced so far?
Although much sequencing efforts have been focused on the twelve Drosophila species (1-3), other important insects have also been sequenced during the last eight years (Fig. 1). These insect species are: the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae (sequenced and published, ref. 4); the silkworm Bombyx mori (sequenced and published, refs. 5 and 6); the honey bee Apis mellifera (sequenced and published, ref. 7); the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (sequenced and published, ref. 8); the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti (sequenced and published, ref. 9); the mosquito Culex pipiens (sequenced, but unpublished); three parasitic wasp species, belonging to the genus Nasonia (sequenced, but unpublished); the blood-sucking bug Rhodnius prolixus (in progress); the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (in progress); and the body louse Pediculus humanus (in progress).