Why did Iceland have mosquitoes in the wild for the first time?

(Dan Tri) - Before this month, Iceland and Antarctica were the only areas where no mosquitoes were recorded. Now, only Antarctica is mosquito-free.

According to CNN , three mosquitoes were recently discovered in the Kjós Valley, about 30km from the capital Reykjavik, marking the first time Iceland, a country known as a "mosquito-free land", has recorded this insect species surviving in the wild.

Unexpected discovery in the frozen land

A Culiseta annulata mosquito perched on a leaf (Photo: Scubaluna).

For decades, Iceland and Antarctica were the only places on Earth where mosquitoes did not live, due to their harsh climate, long winters and temperatures that often fall below 0°C. However, new discoveries have changed this perception.

The first discoverer, Bjorn Hjaltason, an amateur insect observer, said that on the afternoon of October 16, he noticed a “strange fly” flying around his home in Kiðafell. After capturing the specimen, Hjaltason quickly sent the information to entomologist Matthías Alfredsson of the Icelandic Institute of Natural Sciences .

Test results showed that the three individuals collected (two females and one male) all belonged to the species Culiseta annulata, a cold-resistant mosquito species distributed from North Africa, Central Europe to Siberia.

Although they can bite humans, research organizations say they are not known to carry diseases in European areas. Experts also do not consider them to be major disease vectors, although they can transmit Tahyna virus, a disease that is not life-threatening but causes flu-like symptoms.

Iceland has previously recorded a single case of a mosquito in an aircraft cabin at Keflavík International Airport, but according to Alfredsson, this is the first time the species has been found in the wild.

Warming climate a chance for mosquitoes to survive?

According to entomologist Alfredsson, Culiseta annulata mosquitoes are able to shelter in warm, sheltered areas to overwinter, allowing them to survive even in low temperatures.

“It is not yet known how they arrived in Iceland, but it is likely that the mosquitoes arrived on cargo ships or containers,” he added.

Iceland is warming rapidly, and this may be the reason why mosquitoes are appearing in this country (Photo: Getty).

Scientists are planning to monitor the population next spring to determine whether they can adapt and reproduce in Icelandic conditions.

There, climate change is believed to be a factor that may indirectly support the emergence of mosquitoes there. Many studies have shown that rising temperatures, along with increased storms and floods, are helping mosquitoes expand their habitats and lengthen their life cycles.

Iceland recorded record high temperatures this year, with some places exceeding the average by up to 10°C. A report by the World Weather Attribution network said the likelihood of such a heatwave occurring is 40 times higher due to the impact of climate change.

The country is now warming four times faster than the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, a rate that has scientists particularly worried.

Experts are cautious before concluding.

Still, experts say it’s important to avoid making a direct link to climate change. Alfredsson notes that there’s not yet enough evidence to say that climate warming is the reason for the mosquitos’ arrival in Iceland.

Professor Colin J. Carlson, an epidemiologist at Yale University (USA), also agreed: "Mosquitoes have been discovered as far north as Scandinavia, so Iceland could be a potential environment for them, even before global climate change," he said in an interview with CNN.

Carlson said that scientists still have very limited understanding of the ecological shifts of mosquito species, and more time is needed to determine whether the discovery in Iceland is a random phenomenon or a long-term trend.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/vi-sao-iceland-lan-dau-tien-co-muoi-trong-tu-nhien-20251024070826871.htm