Gene expression is known to vary extensively among tissues and between sexes. However, detailed descriptions of tissue-and sex-specific gene expression are available for only a few model organisms. A new study published in BMC Genomics presents such a data set for the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, which is the vector of human malaria. In addition to providing a valuable resource for the community of mosquito researchers, the study allows comparative transcriptomic studies of dipteran insects to be extended over 250 million years of evolution, since the divergence of A. gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster.