Overview
- Entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland verified three Culiseta annulata collected in Kiðafell, Kjós.
- The confirmed specimens—two females and one male—were taken from wine ropes used to attract moths.
- Citizen scientist Björn Hjaltason trapped the insects on October 16 and submitted them after posting to the Insects in Iceland Facebook group.
- Culiseta annulata can survive winter by sheltering in basements or barns, raising the prospect of local persistence even in cold conditions.
- Researchers cite Iceland’s rapid warming—about four times the northern hemisphere average—and note parallel northern range expansions, including recent Aedes detections in the UK, while stressing this finding does not signal a new tropical disease threat.