Mosquitos Found In Iceland For First Time

Mosquitoes were found in Iceland for the first time as environments warmed due to climate change expand range of deadly arthropods.

Icelandic scientist Björn Hjaltason first reported their existence after encountering them while searching for unique moths on October 16.

Hjaltason caught two more mosquitoes in the following days and sent all three to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History; here entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson confirmed the discovery of Culiseta annulata, a large and cold-hardy species.

Until now, the island nation was one of only two spots in the world that were mosquito-free. The other is Antarctica, according to the BBC.

“As well as here in the north, it searches for basements, attics, outbuildings and other places where temperatures are above freezing. This way it overwinters as an adult fly, so it can continue its life cycle the next year,” he said.

Hjaltason speculated that the pest may have arrived via a container ship in a nearby port, while Gíslason suggested in a 2017 interview that it was probably only a matter of time before some species could survive hours in deep subzero temperatures in aircraft landing gear.

“The reason why mosquitoes are disappearing is [from Iceland] “It’s probably something to do with the climate.” he told the Reykjavik Grapevine at the time. “Winters in Iceland are variable. In the middle of winter there may be a sudden increase in temperature as the ice melts, then the temperature drops again. These are unfavorable conditions for adult mosquitoes.”

“We might be concerned about climate change. With global warming, Iceland may not be mosquito-free forever. A warming planet means insects will have an increased chance of breeding before cold weather gets in the way.”