Confirmed presence of aedes (rusticoidus) refiki Medschid, 1928 in a continental dry Mediterranean peri-urban environment in south-central Spain

Abstract

Background The ‘snow-melt mosquito’ aedes (rusticoidus) refiki is a rare species with a wide distribution in Europe that is usually defined as an aggressive mosquito for mammals, including humans. During a mosquito survey in a peri-urban area in south-central mainland Spain, adult Ae. refiki females were captured and identified by morphological traits. The presence of this species of mosquito has never been molecularly confirmed under continental dry Mediterranean climatic influence with scarce number of days with snow on soil. The aim of this study was to confirm by amplification and sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region. Results We also successfully amplified and typed the species molecularly by COI and ITS2 regions. The peri-urban area where Ae. refiki was found contrasts with the reported cold, humid and snowy environments required by the species to breed. Conclusions This finding suggests that the species is already adapted to continental dry Mediterranean environments, questioning whether it is a truly stenotopic species of cold snowy environments.

Species Composition and Population Dynamics of Culicidae during their Peak Abundance Period in Three Peri-Urban Aquatic Ecosystems in Northern Spain

“…Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the presence of, among others, the members of the family Culicidae in these environments. In this respect, few Spanish studies have examined the mosquitoes that inhabit these particular environments [24][25][26]. The study of the mosquito fauna associated with peri-urban environments should be of increasing interest, as it is in these often-naturalised environments that the greatest number of encounters between vectors and humans occur.…”