In a stunning — and unsettling — turn of affairs, scientists in Iceland have recorded the country’s first-ever mosquito sighting, a significant shift in one of the few remaining mosquito-free regions on Earth. Experts say the finding could be a concrete manifestation of a rapidly warming climate remaking ecosystems around the world.
Iceland and Antarctica were for decades the only two places on this planet that were considered free of mosquitoes. But no longer. The Natural Science Institute of Iceland recently reported seeing three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes in Kiðafell, Kjós — about 30 kilometers north of the capital Reykjavík — this month.
The discovery was made by amateur naturalist Björn Hjaltason, who spotted what he described as a “weird fly” adhering to a red wine ribbon he had strung up to see if he could attract moths. Captivated, Hjaltason posted his find with an online group of insect enthusiasts on Facebook before sending the specimens — two females and a male — to Iceland’s Institute of Natural History. Scientists there confirmed the insects were, in fact, mosquitoes, the first ever wild case in the species’ history in Iceland.
“I recognized right away that this was something I’d never seen before,” Hjaltason told Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið.
Matthías Alfreðsson, an entomologist with the Institute, referred to the discovery as historic. “It is the first time mosquitoes have ever been recorded to live in the outdoors in Iceland,” he told RÚV, the state television. “The only previous time a mosquito was ever seen — and that was on an airplane at Keflavík International Airport.”
The Culiseta annulata is a rather resilient species and can endure subzero temperatures. The species ranges from North Africa to northern Siberia. No one has yet found out how these insects entered Iceland, but they are suspected to have been brought in with cargo vessels or ships arriving in the country’s harbors.
Even experts warn against direct inference, the discovery is part of mounting evidence that global warming is opening up habitats for the majority of species of insects. Iceland itself is experiencing rapid climate change — warming at nearly four times the global average rate. Glaciers melting, shifts in fish populations such as mackerel spreading to Icelandic waters, and now having mosquitoes all point towards basic ecological changes.
Even if the Culiseta annulata can survive colder conditions, Alfreðsson explained that an increase in temperature would allow other kinds of mosquitoes — even those with potential for disease transmission — to establish footholds in the country. “Increasing temperatures will likely raise the likelihood of other species of mosquitoes being able to survive here if they make it,” he explained to CNN.
All over the world, the same pattern is observed. Mosquitoes have been spreading up north, with their kind of the Asian tiger mosquito — which carries dengue fever, Zika virus, and chikungunya — being found these days in parts of southern England and mainland Europe.
While the Icelandic discovery is not an immediate health threat, it does deliver a broader environmental warning: as the planet heats up, even the frigid and remotest regions of the world are no longer immune to nature’s most resilient pest.
