Icelanders may be the last group of people on Earth to experience the annoying bite of a mosquito.
This week, Iceland registered the presence of these insects within its borders for the first time in the history of the Nordic country.
The discovery of three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes was confirmed on Monday by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, which stated that the mosquitoes likely arrived in cargo and appeared capable of withstanding the Icelandic climate. (There have been previous reports of mosquitoes found on airplanes in Iceland.)
The institute noted that the mosquitoes are one of several new insect species discovered in Iceland in recent years due to global warming and the growth of international transport.
Insect enthusiast Björn Hjaltason said he found the mosquitoes on a farm in Kjós, north of Reykjavík, earlier this month.
“At dusk on October 16, I spotted a strange fly on a red wine strip,” Hjaltason told the Icelandic broadcaster RUV. “I immediately suspected what was happening and quickly collected the fly. It was a female.”
Hjaltason later captured two more insects. The three insects were delivered to the authorities for testing, which revealed they were two females and one male.
Antarctica is now the only place in the world believed to be mosquito-free.
Climate change is causing temperature increases worldwide, and the Arctic region is warming at a rate more than double the global average.
According to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, the Culiseta annulata species consists of large mosquitoes present in Europe and other Nordic countries that can live in cold climates, usually finding shelter in outbuildings and basements.
Although they bite, the institute stated that they do not transmit known infections in these areas. A 2017 study stated that Culiseta annulata is often “considered a biting nuisance rather than a deadly enemy”.
There are more than 3,000 mosquito species worldwide, some of which can transmit serious and even fatal diseases through their bites, such as malaria, dengue, and West Nile virus.
Source: npr.org by Joe Hernandez