Presence and Potential Distribution of Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Slovenia

Abstract

In Slovenia, two invasive mosquito species are present, Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895) (Diptera: Culicidae) and Aedes japonicus (Theobald, 1901) (Diptera: Culicidae). In this study, we examined their actual distribution and suitable habitats for new colonizations. Data from survey of species presence in 2013 and 2015, bioclimatic variables and altitude were used for the construction of predictive maps. We produced various models in Maxent software and tested two bioclimatic variable sets, WorldClim and CHELSA. For the variable selection of A. albopictus modeling we used statistical and expert knowledge-based approach, whereas for A. j. japonicus we used only a statistically based approach. The best performing models for both species were chosen according to AIC score-based evaluation. In 2 yr of sampling, A. albopictus was largely confined to the western half of Slovenia, whereas A. j. japonicus spread significantly and can be considered as an established species in a large part of the country. Comparison of models with WorldClim and CHELSA variables for both species showed models with CHELSA variables as a better tool for prediction. Finally, we validated the models performance in predicting distribution of species according to collected field data. Our study confirms that both species are co-occurring and are sympatric in a large part of the country area. The tested models could be used for future prevention of invasive mosquitoes spreading in other countries with similar bioclimatic conditions.

Topography explains the distribution of genetic diversity in one of the most fragile European hotspots

“…In the second set of analyses, we used bioclimatic variables obtained from the recently published chelsa 1.2 database (Karger et al., ) for current (http://chelsa-climate.org/downloads/) and LGM (PMIP3; http://chelsa-climate.org/last-glacial-maximum-climate/) conditions at a resolution of 30″. A higher predictive power of chelsa climate data compared to WorldClim data, particularly in mountain regions, has been suggested (Bobrowski & Udo, ; Kalan, Ivovic, Glasnovic, & Buzan, ). The LGM layer available in CHELSA is based on the PMIP3 project under the CCSM4 global climate model.…”

Rapid spread and population genetics of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in southeastern Europe (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia)

“…j . japonicus in Croatia was made in 2013 when eggs were found during a survey for invasive mosquitoes in Krapinsko-Zagorska county, bordering Slovenia [ 28 ] where the species was widely distributed in 2015 [ 30 ]. The survey in Croatia included ovitrapping at possible points of entry and in house yards, occasionally complemented by larval collections from cemetery vases.…”

What makes the Asian bush mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus feel comfortable in Germany? A fuzzy modelling approach

“…The first record of the species in Europe was in France in 2000. Since then, it has been detected in 12 European countries [7–10]. In Germany, the species was discovered in 2008 at the Swiss border [11].…”

“…j. japonicus already exist for Europe [15] and, more specifically, for Germany [16, 17] and Slovenia [7]. They rely on climate data such as precipitation sums and average monthly and seasonal temperatures with a resolution of 1 × 1 km to 10 × 10 km, and partly on elevation data [7]. As these distribution models score well in their validation, it can be concluded that climatic factors are relevant for the species to become established in a region.…”