Iceland, one of the few places in the world without mosquitoes due to cold climates, has just recorded the first appearance of this insect. Scientists at the Iceland Institute of Natural Sciences confirmed that they have found three mosquitoes - two children and a male - in the town of Kjos in the western part of the country.
The first person to discover it was Mr. Bjorn Hjaltason, a local resident. He recounted that at dawn, he noticed a strange fly and suspected it was a mosquito. After collecting the samples, he contacted entomologist Matthias Alfredsson for verification. The results showed that this is the Culiseta annulata mosquito, also known as the Aedes mosquito, a common species in many areas from North Africa to northern Siberia.
According to Alfredsson, this is the first time mosquitoes have been found in the natural environment in Iceland. Previously, there was only one case of mosquito recorded on a plane at Keflavik International Airport. He said it is necessary to continue monitoring in the coming spring to determine whether this species can survive the island nation's harsh winter.
It is not yet clear why mosquitoes appear in Iceland. Some theories suggest that they may have traveled here with cargo containers or ships. Although it is not yet confirmed, scientists believe that global warming could increase the viability of mosquitoes in this cold land.
Mr. Alfredsson commented that if the average temperature continues to increase, the conditions for mosquitoes to live can improve, opening up the possibility of them settling down for a long time. However, Mr. Colin Carlson - Professor of epidemiology at the University of Yale School of Public Health - believes that Iceland could have been a place for mosquitoes to live, even without the impact of climate change. He cited mosquitoes that have been found in very far northern areas of the Scandal Peninsula.
This new discovery has attracted the attention of scientists, because it could signal significant ecological changes in one of the countries considered "compatible" with mosquitoes for centuries.
