Overview
- Entomologists verified three Culiseta annulata — two females and one male — collected at Kiðafell about 30 kilometers north of Reykjavík.
- Amateur naturalist Björn Hjaltason first trapped the insects on a sugar‑and‑wine‑baited string in his garden and shared the find with a local entomology group.
- Researchers consider a recent human‑mediated introduction plausible, possibly via ships or containers moving through the nearby Grundartangi industrial harbour, and say the detection is not necessarily climate‑driven despite Iceland’s rapid warming.
- The species is known to overwinter as adults in sheltered sites such as barns or basements, raising the possibility of survival through Icelandic winters.
- Experts judge the direct risk to human health as low but note potential ecological impacts, including disease risks to birds.