Iceland is a country in the world where mosquitoes are not found – we have been reading this in general knowledge books. But now global warming has proved this information also wrong. Presence of mosquitoes has been found for the first time in Iceland. Scientists say that due to global warming this country is now becoming more favorable for insects than before.
Till now Iceland was one of the few countries in the world where mosquitoes were not found. The second such place is Antarctica.
Scientists had already guessed that mosquitoes could flourish in Iceland, because there are places like marshy land and ponds for breeding. However, many species will not be able to survive in the cold weather here.
Iceland’s temperature is rising rapidly
Now Iceland’s temperature is rising four times faster than the average for the Northern Hemisphere. Here the glaciers are melting and fish from the hot areas of the south like mackerel are also now found in its rivers and lakes.
With the warming of the earth, mosquito species are spreading rapidly in different parts of the world. Eggs of Aedes aegypti (Egyptian mosquito) were found in Britain this year, while samples of Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) were found in Kent. These are dangerous species which dengueCan spread diseases like Chikungunya and Zika virus.
Matthias Alfresson, an entomologist at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, confirmed the discovery of mosquitoes in Iceland. The mosquito was sent to him by a citizen after which he himself identified it.
Talking to the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’, he said, ‘Three mosquitoes of Culiseta annulata species have been found, of which two are female and one male. All of them were on the vine rope, which is usually used to attract moths.
This mosquito species can survive even in cold and can spend the winter season taking shelter in cellars and warehouses.
Who first saw mosquitoes?
Björn Hjaltason first saw these mosquitoes and shared the information in a Facebook group called ‘Insects in Iceland’. He said, ‘On the evening of October 16, I saw a strange fly-like thing on the red ribbon of wine. I immediately became suspicious and caught him. She turned out to be a female mosquito.
After this he caught two more mosquitoes and sent them to the Science Institute, where scientists confirmed them.
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